Before you begin to consider various possibilities of what T-T stands for, allow me to address your confusion. The T-T match I am talking is about two of the biggest ‘Ts which were at loggerheads for most part of December,2009. Telangana and Telugu Film Industry a.k.a Tollywood. The post is about the chronology of events which began from November 28th, 2009 and the ripple effect it created in the Telugu Film Industry. Read on…
November 28th: K.Chandrasekhar Rao begins his fast in Karimnagar. He’s arrested the same night.
December 3rd: Government gives permission to shift KCR to NIIMS, Hyderabad. Note that KCR is diabetic.
December 7th: The Joint Action Committee demands Film Fraternity to take a stand on Telangana.
Decemeber 9th: Centre blinks. Chidambaram says, State Government will introduce a bill on Telangana.
December 12th: Vishnvardhan-Ileana’s ‘Saleem’ and Genelia’s ‘Katha’ release across the state amidst loads of confusion as a bandh had been declared in ‘Andhra’ region.
December 16th: 1. Continuous protests in Andhra and Rayalaseema region force producers of ‘Adhurs’ to postpone the film. The actual date of release was December 18th.
2. Chiranjeevi and Mohan Babu decide to support ‘United Andhra Pradesh’.
December 22nd: Telangana activists disrupt Manchu Manoj’s film shooting in Hyderabad. Focus shifts to Telugu Film Industry
Decemeber 23rd: Allu Arjun’s ‘Varudu’ film shooting disrupted near Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad
Decemeber 24th: A set worth Rs.1.5 crore is set on fire, disrupt Mahesh Babu’s film shooting in Vikarabad.
December 26th:Jr.NTR’s ‘Brindavanam’ shooting disrupted in Hyderabad.
December 27th: TRS and Telangana activists attack ‘Geetha Arts’ office. Note that Telangana JAC and students had decided to boycott Chiranjeevi, Pawan, Allu Arjun and Ram Charan’s films in future.
Arya-2 and Magadheera were stopped from being screened in several cinema halls across Telangana region.
December 31st: Chief Minister, K.Rosaiah condemns attacks on Film Industries. Also reveals that Telugu film industry is contemplating to shift the base to Chennai.
2010-
Janauary 4th: Telangana activists target Rana’s ‘Leader’ shooting in Ramagundam. On the same day a mob destroys bottles in Pepsi Co. godowns in Warangal demanding that Pepsi should remove Ram Charan and Allu Arjun as their brand ambassadors.
January 6th: JAC once again demands Film Industry to take a stand on Telangana.
Note that Rana’ ‘Leader’ , Nagarjuna’s ‘Kedi’ have been postponed. The release of ‘Adhurs’, ‘Namo Venkatesa’, ‘Shambo Shiva Shambo’ is still not clear.
January 11th: Kavitha, KCR’s daughter opposes release of ‘Adhurs’
January 12th: Film Fraternity appeals to JACs not to disrupt film screenings as they are not against anyone.
January 13th: ‘Adhurs’ releases across the state. Police keep a vigil outside Cinema Halls. Screening disrupted in some places.
It is still not clear when Shekar Kammula’s ‘Leader’ is going to release. Several other big-budget films have either been postponed or put on hold temporarily because of the ongoing protests. Nagarjuna’s new film ‘Kedi’ is gearing up for release on February 12th. That’s a full one month after its earlier scheduled date. People in Andhra Pradesh might be aware that February and March are generally avoided when it comes to big releases due to exams and other things which keeps students and families pre-occupied. The Telangana scare this Sankranthi had almost cost the film industry a whopping Rs.120 crores which was at stake with three big releases.
It’s not my intention to criticise the struggle for Telangana. The people of Telangana have the constitutional right to fight for something if they believe it is right. However, the baffling thing is the tactics used by Telangana activists and Telangana JAC to spread a sort of chaos across the state. Telugu Film Industry has a history of more than 75 years and in these 75 years, Cinema has been highly successful in becoming a part of our lives. We have fallen in love with cinema so much that we take it heart when our favourite hero’s film flops or go berserk and celebrate when it’s a blockbuster. The Sankranthi season has always been a great time to watch big-budget films and almost every year, there has been atleast one film which went on to become a big hit. The sudden wave of protests which erupted in various parts of Andhra Pradesh in support of both Telangana and United Andhra Pradesh have taken a huge toll on the film industry. Certain film actors have issued statements which political overtones and others have been brought to limelight due to their political party allegiance. According to an estimation, 92% of those working in film industry are either on monthly salaries or daily wages. Around 50-60 films are usually in their shooting schedules at any given point of time. And throughout December and early January, the number of film shootings had dropped to a near zero level. The disruption of film shootings was described as the least important of things to be bothered about. However, I beg to differ. Why? Because:-
1. The purpose of our lives is to live and earn our livelihood. You cannot rub your philosophy about what’s important and what’s not on others.
2. Don’t forget that there’s a huge section of population whose lives are dependent on Film Industry. Eg: Theatre Owners, Distributors, people who work in and around Cinema Halls etc.
3. Actors, Directors and Producers are just a part of film industry. Don’t forget that people are also stakeholders in this process.
4. I respect the sentiments of people in Telangana and why they think Telangana is important to them, however I don’t understand the logic behind magnifying every small thing related to depiction of Telangana in Telugu Films. Everything that you find offensive has been in existence for decades. What happened to your conscience back then? Why protest against it only now?
5. Telugu Film Industry has stopped making films which impact our lives. Even if such films are made, they are few and far between. So, everything that’s shown on screen is just for the sake of entertainment. If you can’t laugh at a joke, then I will conclude that your sense of humour is different than what’s being shown on screen.
6. While, it maybe true that there’s a lot of bias in the industry based on what region you are from, the film industry is alone not responsible for everything. It also means, you haven’t tried enough and gave up without reaching your goals. This frustration makes you blame others but then it’s not pragmatic.
7. A lot of you have raised your voice against the domination of people from Andhra in Film Fraternity. It’s not a phenomenon which has come up in the last few years. And if you have question everything, then you have to question everything and everything you have believed, loved and respected all these years.
There are several things which will be debated upon and probably we won’t reach a consensus. What’s more important at this point of time is a belief that we are responsible for our own lives. We should stand up for our rights but at the same time blaming others is probably not the right thing to do. The great Telangana-Telugu Film Industry has taken an ugly turn and probably has gone for too long. It’s a match, a Tamasha which shouldn’t have happened in the first place. If you have a grudge against someone, maybe you should have a face to face conversation. Let peace prevail. Leave Cinema alone. Let me laugh, let me cry, let me cheer, let me write. Let me live, once again.
Yours Truly,
Hemanth
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STORY WRITING CONTEST FOR ASPIRING WRITERS
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Film enthusiasts based out of US are looking for interesting stories mainly based in the US. Stories could be short stories or feature film length.
However if you do have stories based in India please do send them across.
You can email your synopsis/scripts to: scriptformovies@gmail. com
If you are an aspiring writer, send us your entries. There is NO entry fee for this contest.
You maybe the lucky one to win one of these prizes:-
1st Prize: Final Draft Software & Internship for Feature Film
2nd Prize: Unpaid Internship for Short Film*
3rd Prize: Day visit during making of Short Film*
*Travel is at your own expense
Terms and Conditions:
1. Stories must be your original ideas and submitted with your own consent.
2. Winners should give consent that their stories can be made as a short film or a feature film.
3. Winners must agree to sign a contract for production.
For more enquiries about this contest, please mail – scriptformovies@ gmail.com
Stay tuned for more updates.
Good Luck.
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2009 will be a memorable year for Telugu Film Industry for various reasons. Two films, Arundhati and Magadheera rocked the box office and brought the much needed attention to the potential outreach of Telugu Cinema. However, we shouldn’t forget that more than 90% of the film released this year have failed to break even or make any impact on the box office. Over 130 films were released in Telugu (as on Dec 25th) (entire list of films released can be found @ Films in 2009). Apart from the direct Telugu releases, there were couple of films which took everyone by storm and raked in much more than most other Telugu films. They were, 2012 and Avatar. 2012 did tremendously well across the state and it grossed a total of Rs.20 crores, and Avatar is expected to gross over Rs.10 crores in AP.
Here’s my personal list of best and worst of Telugu cinema. Note that, Telugu films and Tamil films dubbed in Telugu have been considered in this list. The list has got nothing to do with the trade verdict of all these films and it’s my personal opinion only. I must also confess that I haven’t seen all the 130 films released this year and this selection is only from those films which I have seen. Only 5 films made it into the Best and worst lists. You are free to agree or disagree with my views.
Top 5 Telugu Films of 2009:
1. Magadheera/ Arundhati : Magadheera and Arundhati in a way broke all conventions in terms of how much risk can be taken to make a film. While Magadheera was the most expensive film in Telugu film history (35 crores), Arundhati was made with a budget of Rs.13 crores, which is a LOT considering it was a female-oriented film. Both of the film relied heavily on visual effects and both of them were highly successful in raking in the moolah. The most important thing is both these films pushed the usage of visual effects to a new high in Telugu cinema and have set a great example for others. Hence, they deserve a joint place for the best films of 2009.
Magadheera:- To be honest, the best part of the film was only that 20-25 minutes flashback sequence. Yet, it’s one of the best packaged entertainers to have released in Telugu. The film completed its 100 day run at box office, raked in more than Rs.120 crores and it has broken almost all possible records in Telugu Cinema. Rajamouli has proved once again that he can turn anything into one of the exciting things ever on silver screen. A big thumbs up to the entire team of Magadheera for writing a new chapter in Telugu Cinema History. Read my full review here.
Arundhati: The film gave a new lease of life to Anushka. Period. Anushka’s role as ‘Jeyjamma’ and her costumes were stunning. Full credit to Shyam Prasad Reddy (Producer) and Rahul Nambiar (Visual Effects) for turning this film into a high decibel visual extravaganza. The film does get into a repetitive mode in the second half, but the art direction, visual effects and Sonu Sood’s acting make sure that the film leaves a strong impression in the end. It won 10 Nandi Awards for the year 2008 and swept all the awards for technical excellence.
2. Kick: It once again reiterates that Ravi Teja is one of the best entertainers in the film industry today. The film almost reinvented Ileana who scorched the screen with her curves (!) in the film. The film was a full length entertainer and it did go overboard as far as storyline was concerned. But then, it’s so much fun watching Ravi Teja and Brahmanandam goofing around so much and for that the entire team of Kick deserves a big thumbs up! Read my full review here.
3. Baanam: It’s the surprise package of the year. The film had no stars, no big names attached to it. Nara Rohit made his debut into Telugu film industry and Vedika rendered a brilliant performance. Chaitanya Dantuluri’s debut film as a director is perhaps one of the best in recent times in terms of narration and consistency. The film stays within its boundaries and ‘Baanam’ was one of the very few films this year which was critically acclaimed for the performances and direction, cinematography. Mani Sharma’s music was also one of his best works till date. Read my full review here.
4. Anantapuram-1980: The Telugu version has been dubbed from a 2008 Tamil film ‘Subramanyapuram’ directed by Sasikumar. The Telugu version was released earlier this year and it’s perhaps one of the best films I have seen in recent few years in terms of storyline, characterisation, screenplay, direction, makeup and cinematography. The film narrates the story of 5 friends who live in a small town in the early 80’s and how their tryst with local politics lands them in trouble. This one is highly recommended for all those who appreciate realism in films. Read my full review here.
5. Prayanam: Chandrasekhar Yeleti’s version of ‘Prayanam’ combined the charm of conversations with quirky characterisation like no other film did this year. Brahmanandam, Tameem and Kalpika were the real stars in the film and Manchu Manoj, Payal Ghosh played the lead roles in the film. The entire film was shot inside KL International Airport and the narration kept me hooked for the entire two hours. Of course, it could have been better in terms of performances by lead actors but the dialogues and Yeleti’s direction overshadows all the other aspects. Read my full review here.
Worst 5 Telugu Films of 2009:
1. Saleem : The coveted crown for the worst telugu film of 2009 goes to Saleem. Directed by Y V S Chowdary, the film was a huge blunder and it crossed all limits of perversion featuring A-list stars. Read my full review here.
2. Jaganmohini: Namitha and Raja starred in this remake of a 1978 classic film with the same title. Unintentionally hilarious, the film seemed to have been trapped in a time capsule which refused to get out of its 1978 mould despite the 2009 locations. But then, I highly recommend this film to everyone who’s looking for a good laugh on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Read my full review here.
3. Padaharella Vayasu : Bhushan and Arya Vohra starred in this film which narrates the story of a girl who runs away from home to find a boyfriend and ‘enjoy’. It was lame excuse for showing off a writer’s crude imagination on screen. The film is so bad that you will hardly find its reviews on the internet. It’s the only film this year which I chose not to review despite being compelled to!
4. Mallana: Vikram and Shriya starrer ‘Mallana’ (Kanthasamy in Tamil) turned out to be a big bore. The film was heavily inspired from some B-grade script which Shankar must have written in his sleep. The only things good about the film was its trailer and it succeeded in luring me to the cinema hall. Even Shriya’s presence in the film couldn’t save it. A big thumbs down for Mallana….read my full review here.
5. Diary: A poorly directed film which failed to capture a decent script. The acting was an embarrassment and so was the screenplay/narration. I wonder why the director thought it was necessary to show off Shraddha Das’s legs (in that fashion) rather than concentrating more on the screenplay and narration. A big thumbs down for ‘Diary’. Read my full review here.
Note: As I said, I haven’t seen all the 130 films which were released this year and hence, I chose not to include Mental Krishna or some other films which truly deserve to be in this list. Moreover, I believe Posani Murali Krishna’s film has his own style of making films and if we don’t accept his eccentricity then it’s tough to classify his films without any bias!
Here are some films which didn’t make into the above two lists but nevertheless deserve a mention:
Thumbs Up: Veedokkade, Arya-2, Bendu Appa Rao, Akasha Mantha, Oy, Pravarakhyudu
Thumbs Down: Ride, Current, Billa, Rechipo.
Most Overrated films of the year: Ride/ Billa
Most Underrated film of the year: Arya-2
Eyesores of the year: Namitha, Hansika and Shweta Basu Prasad.
Surprise packages of the year: Kajal Agarwal (Magadheera, Arya-2) and Ileana (Kick)
Most promising new face: Rashmi Gautam (Current, Evaraina Epudaina)
Films that shouldn’t have been made: Saleem, Jaganmohini
2009 will also be memorable for another reason. Hemanthology came into existence and I am extremely grateful to all of you for the overwhelming support and response this year. 2010 promises to be an even more exciting year and all I can hope from God is patience to tolerate terrible films which our films industries churn out, an open mind to appreciate the good films, patience to blog consistently and a voice to express my opinion.
Yours Truly,
Hemanth
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Rajkumar Hirani, the director who gave us two of the finest films in the recent few years (Munnabhai, Lage Raho Munnabhai) is back to wave his magic wand once again. His latest film ‘3 Idiots’ is loosely inspired from Chetan Bhagat’s ‘Five Point Someone’. The film stars Aamir Khan, Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, Kareena Kapoor and Boman Irani. This is the third time that Rajkumar Hirani has teamed up with Vidhu Vinod Chopra who produced the film on his own banner ‘Vinod Chopra Productions’. ‘3 idiots’ is a heart-warming tale about friendship and narrates the story of three friends as they discover the road to their destiny.
Farhan (Madhavan) receives a phone call during a flight take-off which shocks him beyond imagination. He feigns illness and escapes
from the airport. Farhan calls up his college buddy Raju (Sharman Joshi) and the two quickly reach their alma-matter, Imperial College of Engineering. However, they don’t find their other college buddy whom they were hoping to meet, Rancho (Aamir Khan). Soon, they find out that Rancho is living in Shimla and the duo along with another classmate, Chatur Ramalingam (Omi Vaidya) hit the road to find Rancho. Who is Rancho? Why does he occupy such an important place in Farhan and Raju’s life? How did Rancho change their lives in college? This forms the rest of the story in this heartwarming tale which interlaces themes like Indian Education System and its fallacies, love, friendship and one of the biggest questions of life- To listen to your heart or to follow others?
Rajkumar Hirani and Abhijat Joshi, who wrote the story, infuse a great amount of life into the film. ‘3 Idiots’ is the kind of film which takes you on a roller coaster ride right from the word go. It also tries to address the root of the problem which is plaguing the Indian Education System. The method of teaching has turned colleges into pressure cookers and the students are made to compete rather than excel. What’s really good about the film is it has the right dose of funny moments which are brilliantly enacted by all its characters. Aamir Khan brings the much needed star power to the film. His conviction to get into the skin of the character (Rancho) is evident right from the first scene where he proves his smartness. The magic words ‘All Izz Well’ which Rancho advocates throughout the film are addictive and everyone around him falls for its magical charm. Sharman Joshi portrays the role of Raju to perfection. He makes his presence felt despite sharing the screen space with Aamir Khan and Boman Irani. Boman Irani is terrific in his role as Viru Sahastrabuddhe , the Principal of the college. Although it’s almost a repetition of his role as the Principal in Munnabhai MBBS, Boman Irani does extremely well to terrorise the students and run the college with an iron hand. Madhavan’s role in the film takes a backseat, however the scene where he confronts his father about his ambition in life is truly one of the defining moments of the film. The entire story is narrated in intermittent flashbacks and it is well spaced out throughout the film. Kareena Kapoor is good in her role and her conversations with Aamir are a pleasure to watch. The biggest showstealer of the film is Omi Vaidya, who plays the role of Chatur Ramalingam. His accent is funny, his chuckles are hilarious and he has a great screen presence.
Not everything is perfect with this film. ‘3 Idiots’, in a way, lays too much emphasis on comedy that all other emotions go for a toss. The genuine lump-in-throat moments are rare and that’s a pity because the film tries to address some serious issues like suicides, fallacies with the Education System, following your dream instead of listening to the society. Also, the screenplay technique which Hirani uses in the film makes it a bit tough to genuinely immerse yourself into the lives of Rancho, Raju and Farhan. Surprisingly the traditional Three Act structure is hard to find in‘3 Idiots’. To compensate for this lack of proper form of the story, there are so many scenes in the film that it’s hard to keep track of how the film had progressed when we walk out of the cinema hall. The emotional graph of the film has its share of highs and lows because Hirani never lets the audience to think about anything. The only thing which is consistent in the film is Rancho’s free advice to his friends. In a way, the film gets too preachy at times especially about suicidal tendencies of students. ‘3 Idiots’ gets too filmy especially towards the end when Aamir uses all his nerdiness to deliver a baby. It’s surprising that Hirani chooses to plagiarize some scenes like ‘Pencil vs zero gravity’ and ‘placing the answer sheets’ from other sources, although they fit into the scheme of things.
Shantanu Moitra’s music is good especially in songs like ‘All Izz Well’, ‘Sunshine’. Rajkumar Hirani and Abhijat Joshi prove their mettle once again in lacing a typical masala film with a good message to the youth. Muralidharan’s cinematography is stunning! The scene featuring a beautiful landscape of the hills enroute Shimla and the breathtaking views of Ladakh are gloriously captured on the camera. The black and white tint in Sharman Joshi’s house, ‘Zoobi Doobi’ song’s picturization is pretty well done. Hirani and Abhijat’s screenplay lays more emphasis on individual scenes and conversations. Rajkumar Hirani’s third film as a director, perhaps lacks the emotion of his earlier films, but there’s no denying the fact that ‘3 Idiots’ is a fun film to watch. His brilliance can be scene in almost every scene right from Boman Irani’s introduction, to Omi Vaidya’s speech and from Javed Jaffrey’s dramatic entry to Madhavan’s confrontation with his father.
‘3 Idiots’ falls short of being an emotionally engaging film and certain scenes are way too predictable! It lacks the sensitivity of Aamir’s ‘Taare Zameen Par’ and the brilliance of Hirani’s ‘Lage Raho Munnabhai’. It’s preachy and over the top at times. The script is also very calculative about the degree to which audience can laugh or cry and as a result of that it’s hard to empathize with some characters. However, We, the audience, are bound to be manipulated by the film-‘3 Idiots’. We hardly care about the fallacies in the film, what the film is and and within no time it transports us to a time which we would want to relive again and again. The biggest strength of ‘3 Idiots’ is its ability to conjure the nostalgic moments of our college lives. Anyone who has ever been to college will easily relate to all the characters in ‘3 Idiots’ right from the professors to Chatur Ramalingams from their college days. The film has ‘Blockbuster’ written all over it. Does that make ‘3 Idiots’ one of the better films of the year? Probably. Is it the best film of the decade? No. Then, what’s so good about this film? It’s a fun film to watch and gives a taste of our own lives with a magical dose of ‘All Izz Well’ medicine. Go, watch the film, for Aamir, Sharman, Boman Irani and most importantly Omi Vaidya’s hilarious portrayal of Chatur Ramalingam. Although ‘3 Idiots’ is not a groundbreaking film, it definitely is popcorn entertainment at its best.
P.S:- Some people go to watch films and films only, others go to “enjoy” on their weekends! I hate buying popcorn when I go to watch a film. ‘3 Idiots’ turned out to be only a good film for me while the rest of 99% population believes that it’s one of the best films they have ever seen. I disagree.
-Hemanth
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When does a film make a great impression on you? What does it take for a film to be among your all time favourites? Why do we feel like watching certain films over and over again? Questions like these often lead us to a bigger question about films- Why do we fall in love with films?
There have been quite a few films which have left an indelible impression on our minds over the past 100 years or so and consequently these have stood the test of time. Cinema Paradiso is one among such films. Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore, ‘Cinema
Paradiso’ was first released in the year 1988 in Italy. The original version of the film titled ‘Nuovo Cinema Paradiso’ was around 155 minutes long, but later it was edited and a 123 minutes long International version was released. The film went on to win an Oscar Award in the Best Foreign Film category in 1989. ‘Cinema Paradiso’ is a classic coming of age story of a young boy named Salvatore who’s nicknamed Toto. The film intertwines several themes like love, modernism, sentimentality and dreams. It is also an ode to evolution of films itself where a lot of emotions are either narrated through moving images or how they influence the characters in ‘Cinema Paradiso’.
Salvatore Di Vita, a famous film maker based in Rome receives a message from his mother who lives in the small town named Giancaldo, Sicily. He hasn’t visited this place in over 30 years and quite evidently he’s not interested in going back to his past. However, his mother has passed on a message that Salvatore’s friend and mentor, Alfredo has passed away and they expect Salvatore to be at the funeral. This message is a great shock to Salvatore and his mood instantly tells us that he had a deep bond with Alfredo. Salvatore delves into his past and connects the dots like the town Giancaldo and most importantly his mentor Alfredo, who has inspired him to be what he is.
The story traverses the life of Salvatore who lives in Giancaldo, Sicily. The town is surprisingly cut off from the Second World War which is ravaging Europe. The streets of the town are usually deserted and the town itself has a quaint environment. Salvatore, nicknamed Toto, is the epitome of mischief. Things like School and Church hardly seem interesting to him and as he grows up he develops a deep fascination for films which are screened in the town’s only cinema hall, ‘Cinema Paradiso’. It is here that Toto meets Alfredo, who works as a projectionist. Their daily meetings develop into a great friendship and Toto treats him like his own father. Toto’s own father hasn’t returned from the war and to hide this grief, Toto immerses himself completely in movies, much to the chagrin of his mother
‘Cinema Paradiso’ has its share of peculiar people, an elderly gentleman who comes to the cinema hall only to sleep, an aristocratic snob who spits on the commoners, a bunch of youth who whistle and howl at everything and so on. Since the Second World War is still going on, every film begins with a clipping on the latest progress of the war and also acts as a medium to promote Italian Government’s propaganda against their rivals. One of the best shot scenes in the film occurs in an examination hall where Toto and Alfredo reach a compromise. Toto’s innocent chuckles and expressions instantly strike a chord with Alfredo who has had his own doubts about his friendship with the young boy. The friendship between Toto and Alfredo grows so much that Alfredo allows him to sneak into the projection booth. Alfredo even teaches Toto how to operate the projection system and at the same time warns him that film can easily catch fire. Within few days, a tragic accident changes Toto’s life forever. The responsibility levied on Toto turns into both a boon and bane on his childhood. He falls in love with movies so much that he decides to make films himself and also take care of his family.
The film jumps 10 years into the future where we are told that quite a few things have changed. The town has a new cinema hall built in the same location called ‘Nuovo Cinema Paradiso’. One fine day, a beautiful girl named Elena comes to this town and Salvatore is instantly smitten by her. However neither Elena’s father nor Alfredo approve their relationship. Alfredo advises Salvatore to forget about Elena and get out of Giancaldo to pursue his dreams. This obstinate behaviour of Alfredo confuses Salvatore and it takes him more than 30 years to realise why Alfredo never wanted to see him again.
It is quite clear that Salvatore Di Vita has not been able to forget his past and the people who lived in Giancaldo. His nostalgia is brought alive by Blaso Giurato whose cinematography is breathtaking throughout the film. The whole sequence of Toto’s childhood till his stay in Giancaldo is shot in a mood similar to that of the general life in the town. The visual impact of each and every scene of ‘Cinema Paradiso’ is probably one of the reason why this film works and has gone to become a cult classic. The film also narrates the incidents which occur upon Salvatore’s return to Giancaldo. Everything has changed now; modernism has almost destroyed the idyllic charm of this town. On the other hand, Salvatore is still fighting the ghosts in his life. He’s angry at himself that he couldn’t come home when his mother and sister needed him the most. He decides to leave the town and before that he receives a gift which Alfredo wanted him to have it. And when he finally sees the gift, it moves him to tears. It’s also probably one of the greatest treasures which Salvatore had always hoped to have since his childhood. It’s an iconic scene which will move anything who has fallen in love with movies.
Giuseppe Tornatore excels both as the writer and director of this film. The coming of age story of Salvatore is poignantly written and it’s equally heart touching on the big screen. Tornatore’s masterstroke lies in the fact that he infuses Alfredo’s character with a lot of pragmatism. Salvatore’s character goes through a lot of changes and he becomes the victim of life’s various charms especially Elena. However Alfredo’s pragmatism makes Salvatore realise that there’s much more to be done in life. Giuseppe Tornatore also succeeds in lacing the story with evolution of cinema and quite a few scenes portray the love for cinema in a unique sense. The films make the people of Giancaldo cry, laugh, excite and at later stages bewildered that world has changed. It so endearing that even we become a part of all the action in Giancaldo.
The beauty of ‘Cinema Paradiso’ is its narration which is laced with films spanning more than four decades. The mood of the film and also the town of Giancaldo changes with the type of movies shown in ‘Cinema Paradiso’. The stringent censorship of the earlier years diminishes and as time goes by the Cinema Hall becomes a place where relationships are formed. Ennio Morricone’s background score is poetic. It perfectly suits the innocence of Toto, the passion of Salvatore in his youth and the melancholy of Salvatore Di Vita who comes back to Giancaldo after so many years. The film also has a perfect cast. All the characters in the film especially Salvatore Cascio as the young Toto and Philippe Noiret as Alfredo infuse so much life into their characters that it’s hard to resist their charming conversations. The film is truly one of the best coming of age stories written which narrates the story of Salvatore and his journey in life. Alfredo’s advice does look like a bitter pill to swallow but Salvatore follows his advice out of respect and faith in Alfredo. It’s one of the defining moments in the film which makes you sympathize both with Salvatore and Alfredo’s situation.
‘Cinema Paradiso’ is one of the rare films which strike a chord instantly. It’s probably the Sicily sun, Toto’s innocence, Alfredo’s faith in Salvatore’s future destiny which paints a beautiful picture which stays with you forever. Watch it because a film like this has rarely been made. Watch it if you love cinema, it proves why cinema is so essential for our lives and makes our life so beautiful. Watch it even if you don’t like cinema, ‘Cinema Paradiso’ is the kind of film which will make you fall in love with films all over again.
-Hemanth
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Caution: The following review is too long and offensive. Period! Parental Guidance is advised.
YVS Chowdary, a name synonymous with Lord NTR’s family worshipping, is back with a bang. And how?! His last film was a milestone in Balakrishna’s career, who had acted in some gems like Vijayendra Varma, Palanati Brahmanaidu, Allari Pidugu, Veerabhadra just before acting in YVS Chowdary’s ‘Okka Magaadu’. That film turned out to be a deathblow to Balakrishna’s career and he and his fans (I confess, I used to be a huge fan of Balayya, once upon a time) are still reeling from the tragedy of epic proportions. Immediately after the so called ’success’ of Okka Magaadu, YVS Chowdary announced that he will be making a film with the rising star from yet anoth
er NTR’s family devotees, the Manchus. Manchu Vishnuvardhan Babu, had only one good film to his credit (Srinu Vytla’s, ‘Dhee’) at that point of time. He happily signed on the dotted line and convinced his father, Manchu Mohan Babu to act in a special role in the film. YVS Chowdary also convinced the heartthrob of Telugu Cinema, Ileana to act in the film. Apparently, she didn’t even read the script and signed on the dotted line, just because it’s a YVS Chowdary’s film who had introduced her to Telugu Cinema with ‘Devdas’. Since, Mohan Babu still considers himself a 30 something, YVS Chowdary roped in another bombshell, Kaveri Jha to play a special role in the film. This is the brief history of how ‘Saleem’ took birth. But make no mistake, Anarkali’s ‘Saleem’ would be wincing in his grave that YVS Chowdary has used his name and made a complete mockery of both the name ‘Saleem’ and its cult status.
The film’s production took almost 2 years, BIG Pictures and Adlabs jointly produced the film and the total budget of the film hit a whopping Rs.23 crores. Finally, the movie released on December 12th, 2009. And it’s a day which will live in infamy for the sole reason that ‘Saleem’ was released. It’s a disastrous film where the male species in the film cross all boundaries of desperation and when they ain’t in desperation, they make sure to piss you off with their constipated look. There are films which are in bad taste, there are also few films which make you cringe, but ‘Saleem’ sets a new standard in the genre of ‘epic disasters’ in Telugu Cinema. To get a gist of how bad the film is, lets say, ‘Saleem’ is one of those rare film which wouldn’t and shouldn’t be pirated. It’s so bad that the pirates would risk a huge loss and will run out of business if they try to sell the pirated DVDs in black market. That’s a huge achievement for any film. Now that, I have established the fact that it’s a bad film, let me elaborate and present my case on why I call ‘Saleem’ is a disastrous blunder of perverts!
Vishnu stars as Munna, who suddenly shows up in a village, Venkatapuram to save Satyavathi (Ileana) from a bunch of goons. A second later he confesses that he’s in love with her. He becomes a part of Satya’s family and tries to woo her much to her chagrin. Few days later, Munna realises that her family loves her much more than he does, but here’s the catch, after 3 fights, 5 punch dialogues later, Satya falls in love with Munna. The virginal love ends there and she’s desperate for a good fuck. Atleast seems so. She showers (with full clothes on) in front of Munna, teases him with little kisses and yet our ‘Hero’ doesn’t fall into the trap. Is he a virgin? Probably not. Maybe yes. But that’s not the point here. After 4 fights and 40 minutes of buffoonery and sentiment which makes you wince, the interval bang takes you by surprise (however, it’s short lived). I realised that I was cursing myself for sitting in that cinema hall, but then had to encourage myself, another 80 minutes of torture was left to be seen and endured. But can torture (not the blood, gore) be seen? Yes. You can in a film by YVS Chowdary.
Five minutes in to the second half, I realised the film is a rip off of Vipul Shah’s ‘Namastey London’ with a ‘curving bullets’ twist (remember, Angelina Jolie’s ‘Wanted’?). Mohan Babu, apparently the surprise package of the film, is introduced as OJO (Ogiralla Jogaiah)- a casino owner who has made it big in Europe. He knocks off a chap who earns lots of money by unfair means and learns that he has been double crossed by his English Translator (!). He decides to learn English and here enters Kaveri Jha, an English Teacher in Europe(!), who looks like a woman straight out of the glass houses of the Red Light District in Amsterdam. Since Mohan Babu is the ‘Okka Magaadu’ of Telugu Film Industry, in his own way, he gets ample scenes in the script which also includes romancing with the bimbo, who’s his English teacher, helping her tie the knot of her choli and even shake a leg in some random hills of Europe. Did we hear that he was doing a negative role in the film? Yes, but apparently, YVS Chowdary forget about that while making the film. On the other hand, Munna aka Saleem (Yes, he’s a sharp shooter, works for Mafia) successfully woos Satyavathi and three songs and 80 minutes later, the film comes to an end. A Happy Ending on screen. A Jubilation for the crowd that they can run out of the Cinema hall and stop the crowd outside the cinema hall to warn them from watching the film.
The film has its share of loopholes when it comes to the script. This is probably the first time that there’s no proper character introduction and the film starts on the same note as ‘Magadheera’. It foretells the future and two minutes later, the lead pair starts dancing for a song (as the titles roll on). Five minutes later, they meet for the first time and the rest of the film can only be seen to be believed! YVS Chowdary etches his characters with a sense of strange eccentricity, especially when it comes to the lead actress. She talks in a strange Nellore accent (in one scene) and that too with dialogues which make you cringe and howling in pain. The characterization of almost all the actors changes according to YVS’s mood (he penned the script). Hence, don’t be surprised if you find a rough and tough looking baddie dancing with joy for some lame reason! YVS Chowdary is also perhaps one of the biggest perverts in the film industry today and it can be seen in each and every frame featuring Ileana and Kaveri Jha. Yes, we know that both of them look like angels and are embodied with hour glass figures. That doesn’t give an excuse for zooming the camera into their bare ‘midriffs’ everytime they make an entry on screen. Sir, you could have left that to the judgment of the audience to decide what curves they should be concentrating on, instead of the high levels of ‘perversion’ you seem to have reached! The navel gazing is a painful exercise, especially if that alone has 15 min footage (on the whole) in the film. Ileana is one of the top actress in the industry thanks to her acting (sometimes, yes!) and her hour glass figure which most of the film makers try to show off on purpose. But Chowdary saab takes this to a whole new level and makes sure that you promise yourself not to look at her vital stats again in your lives after the 150 minutes torture. I wonder if, Ileana has seen the scenes shot during the shooting and even after the film has been completed. She should be embarrassed and if she isn’t, then there’s something wrong with her. A special word for Kaveri Jha. Yes, we know that you haven’t got good roles, we also know that you don’t mind the so called ‘glamour’ roles. But for a lady who would have been an IAS officer, if she wasn’t an actress, where was the common sense?! It’s a disgrace to not notice where glamour, sensuality ends and ‘pornography’ begins! The perversion in ‘Saleem’ is probably the closest the mainstream Telugu films can get to show soft porn on screen. It’s suffocating and unforgettably profane, sometimes I wonder if it would be parents who would close their eyes or would they make their children close their eyes. It still baffles me that the Censor Board passed this film with an U/A certificate.
‘Padma Shree’ Mohan Babu garu, I believe you have been conferred that honour for a purpose. It would be great if you can stick to your art and stop spitting venom on your political rivals on every occasion. I liked your role in ‘Yamadonga’ and we need you more in such powerful roles, rather than watching you as a 20 something still trying to romance virgin girls onscreen. Please come to terms with reality that you are more than 50 years old, and you are not a ‘Harrison Ford’ at your age, and hence you need to do some apt roles. After ‘Yamadonga’, I kind of liked your role in ‘Raju Maharaju’ too. The levels of buffoonery you have reached in the film ‘Saleem’ are humongous, so much that the jokes didn’t even make a 6 year old sitting next to me. And oh boy! The boy himself. Dear Manchu Vishnuvardhan, congratulations for losing oodles of weight, but please for godssake can you do something about your voice modulation too?! The so called ‘punch’ dialogues are terrible, especially because it’s you who has dubbed your own voice. I wonder how did the script of ‘Saleem’ convince you to do this project and in the process also drag in BIG Pictures, Adlabs to produce the film? Sandeep Chowta’s music is loud and lacks the charm of some of his earlier compositions. Ramana’s dialogues probably sound good on paper, but sound outrageously bad on screen. Editing by Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao could have been better, the best he could have done is to chop his own name from the credits! The only thing worth talking about is C.Ramprasad’s cinematography. It’s pretty sleek and pleasing to the eyes. And if he had the guts to convince YVS Chowdary and whoever responsible for the perversion to not let them push him so much, the government would have given him the’ Bravery Award’. In this process, he would have been conferred with special honour by Quick Gun Murugan for protecting the honour of women!
Phew! I think I should conclude now..:). If a film like ‘Saleem’ is released in 38 screens in Maharashtra, 5 screens in Delhi and countries like Russia and Japan, then I must confess that the future of Telugu Cinema is going to dogs! The Indian Telugu diaspora will probably continue to watch films, but a film like ‘Saleem’ is a blackmark on our ‘glorious’ history. Mohan Babu garu, it’s high time that you got your basics right and realise that you are a good actor and if your sons have real talent, then there’s no need for you to promote them so vigourously. Vishnu, please choose better scripts from next time, otherwise choose some alternative careers. That’s way it’s good for everyone and it will be doing a huge favour to the audience ! And dear Ileana, a style icon like you must read a script before you sign a film. And do something about this excessive ‘midriff’ display, will ya?! Kaveri Jha, please stop acting in films since people don’t take you seriously, it would be a better idea to get back to prepare for the IAS entrance exams, atleast we can boast of a “hottest” bureaucrat the country ever had, if you become an IAS officer. And YVS Chowdary, take a break. Take a long break. If possible, stop making films; if you can’t then get over this strange infatuation for ‘Ileana’ and insane, over the top and ludicrous films you seem to be churning out these days.
The film should have been titled ‘Haleeeeeeem’! Just that it is a badly cooked, rotten and pulverizes your head so much that it makes a certain Hemanth write a 2166 word article on how bad and how disastrous is this epic blunder. The film does justice to its bottom line, “Dummu Reputhadu” (Will make the dust fly). What they didn’t tell you that the dust rises not only on screen, but also in the cinema halls which leaves poor souls like us gasping for fresh air! A film that shouldn’t have been made in the first place. A masterpiece vying for the throne of the King of ‘All Time Bad’ films. ‘Saleem’ is easily one of the worst films of 2009. It sets a new benchmark in Telugu Cinema against which every other bad film will be compared to and for that YVS Chowdary, Vishnu and Mohan Babu all deserve “Razzies” !
Yours truly,
Hemanth
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Cinema is one of the few arts which transform you into a different world. The power of the moving images is sometimes so vivid and overwhelming that it’s almost impossible to erase the experience from the memory. There are two types of people who watch films. There are those for whom Cinema is weekend entertainment and for others it’s a part of their daily lives. There is a one fundamental difference between these two kinds of people which has to be closely observed. The definition of what Cinema is and how it should be is different for these two sections. If the first group believes that Cinema has to be entertaining, the other endorses the idea that Cinema is an art and every film has to narrate an honest story irrespective of its entertainment value. Having established this difference from my perspective, I confess that I am the one for whom Cinema is a part of life.
Few days ago, it struck me that maybe I have got it all wrong! Maybe the way I look at art isn’t necessarily the only correct perspective. My boss once told me that Commercial cinema is much more exciting because millions of people are going to watch that film and if you have made a good film then you become a God! That’s true. And why not? If a million people say that a film was fantastic, then probably it is fantastic, even if people like me thought it was trash. 2012…although I still can’t believe people liked it! In such cases, a film critic’s job becomes all the more difficult. To differentiate a film for what it is and how we perceive it is a tough thing and all the more tough when you have to express it in words. It is also important and in fact, necessary to know the history of a film industry and evolution of Cinema before you try to write about Cinema (as in film criticism). In some cases, it makes you understand the cultural significance of the film and why it has been generally considered a cult film.
Over the past few years, there has been multitude of changes in Indian Cinema particularly in Hindi and Tamil cinema. However, the film industry which churns out the largest number of films per year is way behind these series of changes. Telugu Cinema. FICCI report suggested that in 2007-08, over 230 Telugu films were released which was more than what Bollywood had churned out! While it’s a reason to celebrate at this enormous growth in the number of movies released and the amount of revenue it generates, Telugu Cinema hasn’t achieved the status which it deserves among movie aficionados. Why does Telugu Cinema has to change is something we need to ponder and also intensely debate upon if it has to progress and flourish.
The year 2009 will always be a memorable one for Telugu movie buffs. Two films, Arundhathi and Magadheera turned out to be blockbusters and made everyone to take notice about the kind of work the Telugu Film Industry is doing. However, except for these two films, only a handful of films in general have enjoyed critical or commercial success at box office. Yes, there were films which made profits but they will be hardly remembered few months from now. It’s the curse for creating “perishable cinema” as Kamal Hassan says. By rehashing the same age old stories, with new actors, movies have lost their individuality. Every movie seems and sounds like most other movies made in the past and hence they seem uninteresting and to an extent pointless! Who’s to blame for this? The film makers? The actors? The audience?
Every film industry has its influences and it is these influences which form the backbone and thus give an identity. We (Telugu Film Industry) cannot make films like what Iranian film makers or Polish film makers do because our history and influences are different. It’s probably the reason why Telugu film industry will never make a Good “War” film or even convey themes like alienation, loneliness in its films. Now, the question is what are our influences? In the past 75 years of our Telugu film history, we have experimented with genres like mythology, folklore, tragedy, love, action, romance, music, dance, comedy and so on. We also created demi-gods who inturn made sure their kids fill in their shoes after their retirement. What’s a result of this process? Fans and Fans Associations. The love and admiration which these fans have for their favourite actors is beyond belief. It has also created an unhealthy competition for supremacy and stardom. In fact, some people use Cinema as a medium to satisfy their egos and always try to prove that their CASTE is superior because a hero from their caste has done well. Much like vote bank politics, this issue of fighting for supremacy has divided a lot of people into different sections, as a result of which, the required change is eluding Telugu Cinema.
A new theme or even a new story cannot be experimented because of a general belief that “audience” might not like it. If the film industry is so sure that the kind of films it churns out is meant to entertain the audience, then why do films flop at all?! There’s a clear gap between what the audience like and what the film makers think audience would like! We, the audience have been subjugated to a great extent. A lot of us don’t even watch English, Hindi, Tamil or any other language cinema. It’s like our brains have rusted and rusted to such an extent that everything seems mediocre! When does it end? When does it all end before it becomes irrelevant? How do we usher in the possibility of Change? What does change mean? Change does mean shooting songs in Iceland instead of Switzerland or setting a story in Delhi instead of Hyderabad. In my view it is the debate over trivial things like why does a film have to be 150 minutes long? Why does it need to have 6 songs and 4 fights? Why does the heroine always get introduced into the film when it rains? Why does every window pane be smashed in the vicinity? Why do mothers and fathers have to be either extremely harsh or ridiculously cheeky and doting? Why does the girl’s father have to be the dude of the village in Konaseema? Why does every film have to have an item song? Why does every film conclude with a fight and a happy ending? Why does the villain look so shabby? Why does every love story have to be so cheesy and goddamn predictable?
One of the yardsticks to understand how well a certain film industry is flourishing is generally its revenue generated, number of hit films a year. Yes, we do generate more than Rs.600 crores of revenue but our success rate is less than 10% ! And what adds more to the injury is rarely do Telugu films make it into the “Top Films” lists. We probably don’t have a single film to our credit if the films made in the past 20 years are taken into account. Even now, the cult films from Telugu are the ones made in Black and White Era till the mid 80s. A state which has a high density of movie buffs certainly needs a better recognition than this! It is high time Telugu film industry understands the need to change the way films are made. A film has to excel in whatever it is trying to portray, if it’s a comedy let it be the best comedy ever! If it’s a tragedy, let it be the best tragedy ever! What’s the need to combine two different genres and make porridge of the end product?
We make films which are usually meant for Telugu speaking population. Quite rarely has the content appealed to other audience, even if it has you can be assured that it’s because of the dances, songs or a friend’s constant bugging that someone watches Telugu films. We certainly can’t be short of ideas! This is an age where probably everyone watches atleast 100 films a year from other languages! Is it that difficult to write a story, even if it means plagiarizing few ideas from here and there? We already plagiarize music, action choreography, jokes, dialogues, story lines and sometimes entire films altogether. Of course, the concept of making changes according to “nativity” shrouds the fact that we blatantly and quite happily rip off concepts!
A film industry which wouldn’t mind spending 20-30 crores for every other movie these days, certainly should consider how each film is affecting the overall progress. We probably will remain under the shadow of our glorious past and that is a dangerous thing. The idea that “Movies are just for entertainment!” is a harmful thing for Cinema. It means that you don’t recognise Cinema as an art like photography, painting, music! It also jeopardizes the possibility of voicing a strong opinion and almost kills the idea that Cinema is a Visual interpretation of your dreams! It’s far more important to sell an idea, a story, a theme rather than wrapping the same old rotten stories with new names.
We had a glorious past, the present seems gloomy and we continue to live in our past’s shadow. The future seems more vague than ever before! If we don’t look ahead and understand where we are heading, then everything we have achieved so far will eventually fade away. Steer away; embrace a different course before it is too late. Telugu Cinema has to change; otherwise it will never go beyond the borders! Remember, 2012 is just 3 years away and Roland Emmerich has already shown us how pathetic our end is going to be!
P.S: The post is a personal opinion about the state of Telugu cinema and I genuinely wish it grows even bigger than what it is today. And in the process, earn more respect for all quarters.
P.P.S: This is my 300th post.
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Q: Identify the animated character and the guy on the right who created it?
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1.The picture on the right appears on a movie poster. Identify the movie.
2.Identify the source of the picture on left side.
And what’s the connect?
Ans: The connect is…Heath Ledger.
1. That picture appears on one of the posters of “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus“. This was Heath Ledger’s last film as an actor.
2. The pic on the left is a snapshot from a music video called “King Rat” which Ledger had directed few months before he had passed away. It was designed for a campaign to stop whale hunting.
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Connect these two maps…and what do they depict??
Ans: The Connect is…Che Guvera.
Pic1: That’s the trip he took on a motorcycle along with Alberto Granado.
Pic2: This trip had him travelling across South America as a revolutionary and finally he became a part of the Cuban Revolution
P.S: Not Totally sure about the “Red” arrows in pic1…am guessing that he must have be travelling either on water or flying in a plane.
(Ranga, Vinay, Sid, Katherine, Ashok cracked this one….:)..)
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Identify the two locations and the man there. And what’s the connect?
Ans: The connect is…James Bond.
Pics:
1. The building is the United States Bullion Depository, commonly called as Fort Knox, where large portions of US gold reserves are kept… it was featured in James Bond’s movie “Goldfinger”.
2. The fort on top of the hill is the Monsoon Palace in Udaipur, India which appears in James Bond’s “Octopussy”
3. Ian Fleming, the guy who created “James Bond” series.
Note: The “007″ code in Agent007 is not the ISD code of Russia, as some of us believe. James Bond belongs to a special secret cell of MI6, which also has 11 other secret agents…Agent001, Agent 002….Agent 012. And James Bond is Agent 007 in that list. All secret agents in this group have the license to kill.
Caution: The review is offensive. Period!…contains spoilers… [NSFW]
“Jaganmohini” starring Raja, Namitha and Mira Chopra is an embarrassing film to begin with. To even call it embarrassing is a huge compliment in itself. I haven’t found a term yet in Oxford dictionary to describe the film. There are films which are mundane, there are films which are pointless, but “Jaganmohini” is neither of them. It’s a disgrace to the film fraternity that films like this are even made in the first place. Since most of you haven’t even heard of the movie and chances of you watching the film are almost zilch, allow me you to elaborate more than what you general expect from a movie review.
In the kingdom of Matsya Deevi (Fish Island), an announcement is made that Prince Jagan Prathap(Raja) and another princess
Jayanthi (Mira Chopra) will enter a wedlock. However this marriage is stopped when a water demon, Mohini (Namitha) wrecks havoc in the kingdom at the same time. She’s stopped by a tantrik (Kota Srinivas Rao) who has a plan of his own. The rest of the plot unravels the mystery of Mohini and why she wanted to stop the marriage…
Five minutes into the movie, you begin to wonder if the director Vishwanathan is playing a practical joke on you. The film which is supposed to be set in medieval times (although shot in Ramoji Film City) has Tar Roads, Electric lamps. Moments later, a water demon walks into the kingdom…it’s so HUGE that you wouldn’t think twice before concluding that it has to be the Jumbo Queen, Namitha! And few minutes later, the tantrik after capturing the demon in his Kamandalam, slices his head like a lemon as an offering to please Goddess Kali. (Wait..there’s more!). Suddenly out of nowhere, hundreds of eyes pop out from the huge lemon garland on the goddess! She’s pleased with the subject’s devotion and hints him to go to the Shankam island (Conch Island) where he will find the boon he has been asking for. But little does he know that he cannot find it so easily….Spalsh…Kaboom…ahh…yes, Mohini (Namitha) has just jumped into a swimming pool (Oops…Sea!) to collect pearls. She finds a special one and shows that to her mother (Jyothilaxmi) and the mom-daughter duo start dancing in ultra-minis clothes…yikes! Well…this was just the beginning of what turns out to be a nightmare.
The hero turns up on Mohini’s island out of nowhere and the two almost instantly fall in love. Raja should be declared the strongest man on earth. He survives the bone crushing body frame of Namitha on more than one occasion. At one point of time, he had to even suffer an extra ton of iron, as if the already 3 tons of the jumbo rani wasn’t enough! (Pun intended!). Before they can do some chiggy-wiggy (of course, they sing songs), the prince’s mission is accomplished and he must leave the island. His parents are devastated when they hear about his affair with a fisherman’s daughter and yes, the King issues orders to kill the girl. And she dies in the sea after the king’s stooge stabs her. Woah..that’s one hell of a sharp knife! Since she didn’t get laid and her love for the boy is unfulfilled, she returns as a ghost both to avenge her death and regain her love.
The embarrassment just doesn’t end for a moment. After a point of time it turns out that you have been laughing your arse off at the seriousness with which the film takes itself. In one particular scene, Mohini invites her friends to accompany her long-last brother. You begin to wonder if the director was shooting for a condom ad!!! Everyone walks in with long hair, white masks, white pullovers, white gloves! It’s acceptable if someone says that it’s a low budget film, but the representation of “Ghosts” in this fashion is a mere insult to them. However, it couldn’t have been a low budget film, the reason being Namitha looks like she has cut down some of her flab. Possibly a huge chunk of the budget was utilised for her fitness program. It’s still embarrassing to look at her in those minis…unless of course you have altered your sexual preferences..:). She’s still an eye sore, occupies more than half of the screen space and has an expression which is somewhere between a constipated one and a horny MILF. Heyyy…don’t blame me for the crude language…she almost succeeds in man-raping the hero in the film.
If all this wasn’t enough, the film has arguably some of the worst visual effects and graphics you have seen in recent times. I bet, Alif Laila had much better graphics and a great storyline with ample thrills to scare you. Mohini gets so horny at one point of time that she stoops to a new low, she almost manages to have Ghost-Segz with her lover boy. Oh…you poor thing! You can thank your stars that the cute Jayanthi saved the day for you. And how can I forget the climax! Now, the prince is in love with both of them…and being the genius our writers and directors are, they come up with a smart tactic. Mohini’s soul replaces that of Jayanthi’s!!!! Hey…dude…that’s so cool!!…Now, it’s double the fun…only problem being, there’s a danger of Jayanthi turning into a la Mohini inside. After all, you never know, in a movie like this I wouldn’t be too surprised if the two switch places or have a threesome by some miracle..:D
Acting, although non-existant for most part, is terrible. You would have seen better acting by those kutti kids in fancy dress competitions held at schools! Everyone makes an effort to appear so serious all the time, but it falls flat like a big lump of cow-crap on the roads! Raja really acts as if he’s out there to save the world. Namitha croons, dances and does all sorts of nonsense to bring her career back on track. She’s so much suited for the prano business…wouldn’t you agree? she could make a bomb in that field…:P..The only two people I really pity for being part of this film are Mira Chopra and Illayaraja! They have done the film makers a huge favour by signing on the dotted line and hopefully this will be the kind of film which they wouldn’t talk about. Ever! If the film makers are under the impression that the film has some great graphics, then I must suggest that they should recover all the money they have paid for that Visual Effects company. Clearly, you have been cheated and tricked into believing that it’s a masterpiece, or maybe you have just woken up after a 30 year coma!
But why would I call this a cult classic? Because, there will never be a film like this in near future! The dialogues, story, acting, editing, screenplay, direction are some of the worst in years. But then, this is exactly the kind of film you should watch with a huge gang. The trick is to know when to laugh and when to curse your fate for landing on that seat! This is film making at a new low, a disgrace to the existence of cinema and a nightmare in all its glory. The producer could have donated the money for a good cause instead of investing in this film. All I can say is, a sleeping pill with every ticket will be an excellent strategy to save the film.
Rating: Not Applicable [NA]
P.S: I have nothing against the film unit or the actors in the film, especially Namitha. All I am saying is, she’s in the wrong field and I am so damn pissed that this film was made in the first place.
P.P.S: The film has the potential to win hundreds of awards in all the major “Worst…” categories!
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Who are these three? And the connect??
Ans: The connect is..”Marge Simpson” from “The Simpsons”…The lady in the pic here is…Julie Kavner…who gave the voice over for Marge Simpson. The guy to the right is Matt Groening, the creator and designer behind the Simpsons…and the third guy is Hugh Hefner-”Playboy”.
Marge Simpson will be the first ever cartoon character to be featured on the Cover page of “Playboy Magazine”.
Well Hemanth has been barraging with a string of googlies one after the other. You just have to be maniacally enthusiastic about trivia to get those questions and I havent had much luck yet. I like the idea of Cinema quiz but why not go a little wild with a Too Much Cinema quiz?
Here is not one but a set of questions, 6 in all, which all build up to something. All the 6 answers stacked up together should lead to what we call a connect. The questions are easy but will you get the point is to connect. So here they are:
Q.1) Convinced that it would fail, the Hollywood film industry labeled the film “Disney’s Folly”.
The British Board of Film Censors gave the film an A-certificate upon its original release. This resulted in a nationwide controversy as to whether the enchanted forest and the witch were too frightening for younger audiences. Nevertheless, most local authorities simply overrode the censor’s decision and gave the film a U-certificate.
This was the first film to ever have a soundtrack recording album released for it.
Which movie am I talking about?
Q.2) We all know the movie but do you remember the name of the character who says these lines
“Fiddle-dee-dee.”
“My life is over. Nothing will ever happen to me again. “
“As God is my witness, I’ll never be hungry again!”
“After all, tomorrow is another day.“
Q.3) Identify the movie from lyrics of this song
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens,
bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens,
brown paper packages tied up with strings,
these are a few of my favorite things.
Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels,
door bells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles.
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings.
these are a few of my favorite things
Q.4)Identify the movie from the image 
Q.5) These are the last lines of the movie touted as the “father of the summer blockbuster movie “
Brody: What day is this?
Hooper: It’s Wednesday… eh, it’s Tuesday, I think.
Brody: Think the tide’s with us?
Hooper: Keep kicking.
Brody: I used to hate the water…
Hooper: I can’t imagine why.
Q.6) Academy award for the Best Director
Herbert Ross – The Turning Point
Steven Spielberg – Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Fred Zinnemann – Julia
Woody Allen – Annie Hall
Find the missing Nomination in this category.
Now these six movies all point to what I call a ‘Double Indemnity’. So go ahead. Give me the six answers and What is so special about these movies which are in a particular order?
The first one to get all 6 answers along with the connect wins!
Thanks for participating. Let me know if you like the Quiz and do come over to my movie blog called Too Much Cinema sometime. For reviews in a 100 characters or less, follow @toomuchcinema on twitter
by Vemana
http://vemana.in
The guy on the left is handing over something to Pervez Mussharaf. This was something remarkable…who’s the guy on the left? What is he handing over to Mussharaf? And what’s the significance of this event?
Ans: Mr.Akbar Asif, the grandson of Asif, director of Mughal-e-azam. He is presenting a reel of the re-coloured print of the film for its re-release in Pakistan. Mughal-E-Azam was the first Indian film to be released in Pakistan after more than 40 years. A complete ban on Indian films was enforced after the war in 1965.
Trivia: 1. Shoaib Mansoor’s “Khuda ke Liye” ,a Pakistani film was released in India soon after “Mughal-E-Azam” was released in Pakistan. Good Politics? Maybe…:)
2. “Taare Zameen Par” was also to be released in Pakistan. But, they dropped the idea when the Censor board in Pakistan raised a red flag saying that “There are no Pakistani actors in the film and the film was not even shot in Pakistan”!! Bad Politics? Maybe..:D
(Anantha Krishna and Swagath cracked this one…)
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Who are these three gorgeous actresses? And the connect..:)
Ans: (starting clockwise from top left)
Annie Parillaud – of La Femme Nikita fame
Milla JovoVich – The Fifth Element
Natalie Portman – Leon
The connect is Luc Besson…he was the director of all those movies.
P.S: Leon was the debut film of Natalie Portman!
(Sidharth, Revanth cracked this one…)
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Identify these three actresses and what’s the connect…(a slightly toughie..but easy to figure out if you know one of them…)
Ans:
The connect is…Dev Benegal. All these actresses have acted in three of Dev’s movies…starting clockwise from top left
1. Laila Rouass (Split Wide Open)
2. Mita Vashisht (English, August)
3. Tannishtha Chatterjee (Road, Movie)
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Who is this guy? And why’s he in the news?!
Ans: The director in the pic is Paresh Mokashi. His low-budget Marathi film “Harishchandrachi Factory” has been selected as India’s entry to the Oscars. It will be competing with hundreds of movies from across the world for the “Best Foreign Feature Film”.
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Identify the people in these two pics and find the connect….! (Damn..easy if you follow movies..)
Ans: Karunanidhi and Prakash Raj…connect is Mani Ratnam’s “Iruvar”. (Check out Swagath’s comment for the complete answer)
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Identify the two film makers and find the connect.
Hint: They did something which they shouldn’t have!
Ans: The director on the left is “Jean Jacques Annaud”. He made a film on Dalai Lama-Heinrich Harrer, titled “Seven Years in Tibet” starring Brad Pitt in 1997. The guy on the right is “Martin Scorsese” (a pic back from 60’s). Incidentally he too made a film on Dalai Lama in 1997, titled “Kundun”.
Connect: Dalai Lama (or Tibet).
China had banned filming in Tibet for a very long time. However, after 2 years of its release, Jean Jacques Annaud confirmed that parts of the film were shot in Tibet. On the other hand Chinese authorities had their own doubts about the kind of propaganda Martin Scorsese’s “Kundun” has since it’s essentially sympathises with Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Freedom Movement. Scorsese didn’t relent to the appeal of Chinese authorities to stop the film’s release and consequently, Martin Scorsese and several members of the film were banned from entering China.
Trivia: Major part of ”Seven Years in Tibet” was shot in the outskirts of Mendoza, Argentina. A special set was constructed for the film, including the chambers inside the “Potala Palace”.
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