Quizas Quizas Quizas

I wanted to write something on the films for some times. I am downloading and watching films left-right-and-center, taking full advantage of a real broadband connection. But the eternal question looms, write on what and what to write...

And then I came across Baradwaj Rangan's latest in-between-review piece. I just saw the accompanying picture and the name of the director given at the end, I knew I had to see this. Afraid it might spoil the fun, i skipped the article altogether (which is BTW, great as always, I read it later). One necessary announcement here: Baradwaj Rangan is the bestest film-critic in our country right now. Period.

Now, where was I... Yes, the film. It is "In the Mood for Love" by Wong Kar Wai. I have heard a lot about Wong Kar Wai and saw his very famous "Chungking Express" a month before. Misfit, quirky characters, old music, love and loneliness and of course Wai's signature frames with stylistic light and color. Me likes. One look at the scene and you know it has to be Wai. You'll know what I mean when you see his films.

Music plays a very significant part in Wai's films. I can not imagine Chungking Express without "California Dreamin" playing in loud volume in the background and whenever I hear the song I can see Faye playing with aeroplane inside the aquarium.

Anyway, I was going in a tangent about something else, whereas I wanted to talk about "In the Mood for Love". Now what to say about that? Will it suffice to say that this is one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen?

Frankly speaking it is very difficult to describe this film. It is a story set in sixties Hong Kong, where Mrs. Chan and Mr. Chow, along with their respective spouses, rent rooms in opposite flats (Wai likes tiny apartments and narrow staircases... maybe in confined spaces, we feel closer to his characters). Their paths cross time and again as they deal with their lonely lives, suspicious of their partner's infidelity. But they can't fall in love with each other. As Chow tells, "We are not like them", and in short that's what the film is. Of not falling in love. Or is it the opposite...

What makes more difficult to describe this film, is its beauty... almost like poetry on camera, which is, as the cliche goes 'seen to be believed'. How can a simple walk down the steps can become magical with use of slow motion and music? How do you describe the sadness captured in the slow patterns of white cigarette smoke? How on earth background score can elevate a simple sequence into masterpiece?

"In the Mood for Love" is nothing if you remove the music. Be it the melancholic theme music (youtube link) or earnest but sad Quizas Quizas Quizas (which means "Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps"), it seems the script is written for the music, not the other way around.

The film never hurries around. Small small incidents, snippets of conversation and the languid pace. As if the time is stopped and the viewer is not much aware of the real time line, unless we are shown explicitly like "Hong Kong 1963". It's a film which never rushes even in its 90 min of length. It takes it time, makes you feel what they are feeling, the desperation, the sadness, the loneliness. It reminded me of Murakami's novels, the feeling of longing and slowing down the flow of time (although Murakami is totally surreal, almost in a parallel universe).

"In the Mood for Love" leaves you sad and silent for a long time after it ends, with the songs remaining inside your head. And believe me, it will go on for a long time.

A small film, with a small story, perfect for keeping inside your heart, maybe to revisit some time later.

Quizas quizas quizas...

Whose Song is This?

A few months back, one Sunday morning, I was channel-surfing, and caught this documentary showing in NDTV (they have this Documentary@24X7 program aired every Sunday around 11 or so). The original name of the film was "Cia e tazi pesen ?" which means "Whose is this song ?" made by one Bulgarian lady named Adela Peeva. The documentary was in Bulgarian, subtitle was on.

Adela once heard one song being sung in some restaurant in Sophia, and her friends, who were all from different but neighboring countries, claimed the original song is from their country. Original song here means the original tune, because, in different versions the song has completely different lyrics, ranging from romantic to patriotic, of course in the language of that country. So our director became very interested and started her journey across the region to find out what is the actual origin of this song.

Now the region we are talking about is known as the Balkans, comprising countries like Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria, parts of Turkey, some not-so-known names like Macedonia, Albania and some known-for-wrong-reasons names like Bosnia and Kosovo. All these countries have shared histories, ethnic groups like Serbs, Slavs and Turks spread around the region, dominated by religions like Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Roman Catholic Christianity and Islam. At some point of time or other all were ruled by Greeks and some other point they were part of the Turkish empire.

Unfortunately, people do not see this as some kind of beautiful cultural harmony among themselves. The recent history is full of wars, ethnic violence, genocide and border tensions. All of us heard about Bosnia and Kosovo.

All this made the documentary rather interesting. Which was just a song, became some kind of national pride especially when confronted with the claim that the neighbors say it is their song.

How can they!! We have heard this song in our childhood.

My great-great-grandmother knew this song.

Don't listen to those people. They are nothing but thieves. After looting our country, now they want to steal our culture too!!!

These were some of the reactions which Adela heard when she went to people with her tape-recorder. At times, the situation became really heated as you can imagine.

I found this trailer in youtube which gives you an idea what I am talking about. Have a look (or click here to view in youtube).



You can also see the full movie in Google Video (here).

In the end, the search remained inconclusive. There is no definite answer. But as you can guess, that was not the point. The point is people are much more closer to each other than they would like to believe.

As much as we hate some people or denounce their contribution, the fact remains, our culture, tradition, art, all are product of a collective effort and that makes it so rich. We fight endlessly on who created this and that, overlooking the beauty of the creation in the first place and how can we share it better among ourselves.

Now, the most interesting part (at least from my point of view). What really got me hooked to film, is that I have heard this tune before. In a Bengali song!! A very well-known at that. So now... it is my chance to claim this song...

If you are a bong and seen the trailer above, you must have guessed which song I'm talking about. It is "Shukno Patar Nupur Paye" by Kazi Nazrul Islam. Check out the song at youtube in this link. I had an mp3 from nazrul.org but the site is not opening anymore.

Although for bengalis, the name Nazrul does not need any introduction, others will do well to click the link. Nazrul can be termed as the most popular Bengali poet/song-writer after Tagore. Having a very large body of work (poetry, song, essay, novels), it is mainly his songs (known as Nazrul-Geeti) which have endured the test of time. Nazrul is known for introducing Arabic and Persian influence in his poetry and music. He is considered the pioneer in this regard.

We can guess, he picked up the tune for this particular song, during his posting in Karachi for the British-Indian Army, where he studied Persian (Farsi), met people from various countries, especially middle-east. Maybe some Turkish soldier sang this song one night at the camp-fire and Nazrul was hooked to the beautiful rhythm. We can only imagine.

So, along with Adela Peeva, I had my tiny part in this journey, which started in the mountains of Balkans and via Karachi, ended up in my doorstep. Who would've thought!! "Yeh duniya badi gol hai", that's what I can say at the end... :)

As usual, comments are welcome. And there is a new five-star-rating system below. So, if you are lazy to type a few words at least click some stars!

The Loser

When does a character becomes a metaphor? A 'tag', which you can put on people you know and say he has become 'so-on-so'. They become such an identifiable but at the same time larger-than-life persona, they create a category of their own. Take for an instance James Bond. Do we need to ever attempt to describe what a 007 is. No. Never. And that's why he is so popular. Year after year they'll make films starring Bond and people will run to the theater. Another example is superman.

There is one thing common among these guys. They are heroes. Heroes with generous amount of out-of-the-world power, be it simply raw strength or deadly gadgets. With that you add charisma and cool quotient. You know... tall, fair, handsome... etc etc. And most importantly, they have been a long lasting character on paper before coming to the screen. Their charm is not created in one day.

But, what about being similar long-lasting, memorable character just by being the biggest loser... A character who has become another tag, another adjective, being used in everyday language, with abandon.

Yes I'm talking about Devdas. Sounds familiar? Yes. We all know Devdas. He is one character created for the eponymous novel back in 1917. Novel was a success (but then, everything from the pen of Sharat Chatujjey was a success). After nine films in Bengali, Hindi, Assamese and Tamil, most of us know what are the characteristics to label one as Devdas. And none of them can be termed as heroic or ideal or anything similar. He is one guy who is famous for losing it. Losing it all. Albeit losing it in style. You know that dialog? "Haar ke jeetnewalo ko..." Yeah that one. No wonder SRK was the latest avatar of Devdas!

And guess what. He is back. No, not SRK (come on, he is always there, if not in this, then the next channel). As you may have guessed I am talking about the coming-soon Dev.D (statutory warning: link not for minors). Lets start with a quote from the director himself.

Abhay told me he had an idea, a story. I said ,”OK tell me”. He narrated me a story of a stripper in a LA strip club and a guy who is attracted to her. The guy had a back story, an unrealized love story. After he narrated the whole story, he asked me guess what is it. I couldn’t. He then told me it is Devdas. I looked at him. I never thought before that moment, that Devdas could be retold like that. That was where Dev.D was born.

Read the full thing here. And you can catch the trailer in youtube. Man, I love the term "emosanal atyachaar". :)

Whatever, this post is not 'bout the film, but the character. What is there which has made him so memorable and popular. Whenever I think 'loser' is the word comes to my mind.

Is it the romanticism, killing yourself for that 'one luv' idea which attracts us.

I don't know. Maybe its not just pyaar-ishq-mohabbat. It is the self-destruction. We love fools. Fools for a cause. Any damn cause. Because we all are fools.

Fools who make mistakes, take the wrong turn, get hit by the truck of fate when they were looking at the opposite direction. It hurts. And for a moment it feels nothing is worth anymore. So what's the point of trying. Let it slide.

Off course being the sensible and wise types we come back to our senses. For sometime things look only black and white. After some time (which can be very long) things start falling into places.

Think about those soldiers you saw in the WWII film. End of battle, no ammunition, completely surrounded by enemy forces. Surrender is the only option. And there will be one guy who'll take a knife and run into the bullet-rain, shouting "Hail Hitler" or "God save the queen" depending on the film. In a second there will be so many holes in his body it is almost semi-transparent.

What about the guy next to him. He also takes the knife. Take a step ahead. And then he stops. He knows it is worthless. He can't die like fool. He puts it down and surrenders. He knows he has done the right thing. But there will be that feeling biting inside him.

"I wish I could do that..."

And that's why we love Devdas. He did it. What we could not think of doing. People talk about the one love and life is worthless if they don't get it. But we know that's bullshit. Only a fool will do that. Well, Devdas was a fool and he died a fool. He had the guts to show the finger to the world. Of course being son of a zamindar helps. Having great actors portraying you on screen helps.

And that is my friend is the ever-lasting charm of being 'The Loser'. You have to be the biggest of all. And the masses will adore you, making you the Martyr-of-Mohabbat. And lots of broken hearted young souls will stop shaving and run to the pub to contribute for Vijay Mallya's next sportscar or IPL team!

So cheers to Devdas (he will like that). He showed being a loser is cool sometimes if you can do it right.

May his soul rest in peace.

Amen.

Dream On!

I think you can guess the title has something to do with last week's release "Rock On". There are host of jokes/pjs going around, based on the film's name. The idea is simple. Random word + 'On' = PJ! This one from MTV Tickr goes like this,

Question: What would have been the name if the movie was based on girl bands?
Answer: Frock On!!

I know, I know, bad PJ... But that's the fun... :D

Anyway, the topic of this post is not pun on Hindi film titles. But it has

somethong to do with the said film. I have not seen the film yet, but what I have heard/read so far, it's a very good. Definitely worth a dekho. Maybe I'll catch sometime next week (badly screwed up in work for this week :( ). By this time you must have known the theme/storyline of the film, so I'm not going to waste screen space for that (if not, try this and choose one). It's about doing what you want do do in life and pursuing that dream. I saw this post on the film in PFC and really liked the way the writer has identified with the film. But, why I'm talking so much about a film I haven't watched yet? Because, very recently I came accross this ad in adoholik.com, and I wanted to post about it...



The caption tells "Put your skills to better use". Got the connection? There are some lucky people who are doing what they want to do. And some are not. Stuck somewhere else. And of course there are some who are not even sure what they want. Confused souls (I'm one among this category). And I really liked this advertisement. Other than being a fabulous piece of sketch, I saw something very familiar in it, a pert of me to be precise... Maybe, just maybe, someday I'll stop being an engineer and then be... Well, I don't know... something else. Till then, Dream On....

Let's Talk Filmi - II

As I told in my last post that a great film is which surpasses its basic premise and promise. Normally we know what to expect from a movie. We know the cast, and you know what the story is based on (you know... boy meets girl in South Bombay college or honest cop cleaning out the system or just a situational comedy with married man with their escapades etc etc). If the film fulfills our expectation we call it a good film. If it fulfills all your wishes without any apparent flaws then it's a real good one. Maybe an excellent one. For example say Chak De India. It's one of the best films of last year. Exceptionally well made, great acting, realistic portrayal. Doesn't let you complaint at any point. Stays true to its promise. It deserves all the accolades it got. No doubt about it.

But then some films go beyond that promise. You get what you should get and then you get a little more. Which stays with you. You can come back to it again after a long time and it will not lose its appeal. In English I can name Shawshank Redemption before any other films. It is my all time favorite film. Somehow it crosses all your expectations and touches that point. On the first glance it is a very simple film. It's a prison drama. That's all. We see Andy's life in prison, his struggle, other inmates and everything. It got the most pleasing ending which makes you happy. You know, 'poetic justice', win of good over evil etc etc. But still Shawsank Redemption is not just that. The name has become synonymous with hope. It teaches you something. Things about life. 'Inspirational' is the most oft quoted word used to describe this film. And it is a film which was not successful in the box office. Well, greatness doesn't demand people will recognize it then and there. But ultimately they will.

There is this short film made by Vishal Bharadwaj. It's on AIDS, made for a campaign called AIDS Jaago. Total four films were made, by Mira Nair, Farhan Akhtar, Santosh Sivan and Vishal Bharadwaj. It is on a given topic. We know all about AIDS (at least we like to think we know). A short film, some twenty minutes in length. Supposed to give some gyan, dos-and-don'ts etc. We know it all. And still this film packs a punch. Vishal manages to make a film within such a predictable and short frame beautiful. And at the end it does not remain only about AIDS. It shows great painters can create memorable art even with small canvas. Witness yourself.


Blood Brothers (Part 1)




Blood Brothers (Part 2)




Let me know your thought about this film. Or any film for that matter. Just share your opinion. Thanks and Ciao...

Let's Talk Filmi...

A post after a really long time… Yeah, reaaaally long time. Reasons are many. Pressure at work, blogger’s block (what to write), and mainly my laziness. I am very good at delaying things, putting it down to do it tomorrow and in the end not doing it at all. To do it day after day smoothly without feeling guilty is an art which is perfected over the years and I have almost reached the pinnacle. Almost, because I am still struggling a little with the ‘feeling guilty’ part.

Also was busy catching up with some great movies of old, not so old and recent times. The oldest one is from 1957 and the most recent one is one released last month (yes, it is The Dark Knight). And as I told these are great movies. Great in their own way. Themes are different. So are the techniques and narration style. But one thing is common between them. Somewhere these films go beyond their basic premise, their genre (like action, drama, thriller etc), their settings (urban/non-urban, indoor/outdoor), and projects some questions which are fundamental and timeless. Today’s post is about these films.

First thing first, this is not a review. And I’m not going to list details, plus points minus points of them and give rating of 4 out of 5 etc. No. It is just a few words about them. If you have seen them please share your thoughts. If not, try to watch if you feel interested from my ramblings. Let’s start with the senior most of all.

12 Angry Men:
It is one of those very few films which I call one-room film. In fact there is only one film that I have seen which has similar setting (more about that later). And one room does not mean some people talking in a room and viewers are then shown those things they are talking about. I mean flashback or something. No sir. Here these people just talk in that room and you will be there with them for the full length of the film. The camera remains there. That's all. The film is based on the concept of 'reasonable doubt' in case of justice. The criminal laws in civilized societies are based on the promise that 'no innocent man should be punished' and 'if there is a reasonable doubt in the judge/jury's mind that the convict might be not guilty, then he can not/should not be punished'. Note the keyword is reasonable doubt and there is no concrete definition of that. A wonderful concept supported by a tight script, and great acting. #10 in IMDB top #250.



The Dark Knight:
Now, this is one very very recent film. And one which is hyped to the core. Is it that great? Well, yes and no. It is the best comic-to-film adaptation. No doubt about that. Christopher Nolan has taken this film and the batman franchise to a different level.

I think, this movie will change the way superhero films made in Hollywood, just like “The Godfather” changed mob films and “Saving Private Ryan” changed war films. And that’s some achievement.

Having said that it still doesn’t come in the all time great/classic list or maybe it does (it's too early to judge it). There are themes touched in this film, which given more time and effort could have taken the film to the hallowed list, but those themes were touched and hinted upon. Not dug into. No offense to Nolan. It is a summer blockbuster after all and he has to please everyone including batman fans and earn millions worldwide. He did it and he did in his own style. And it surely demands a second watch (I am waiting for one more sitting, with the DVD) to keep aside the suspense and brilliant stunts and delve deep into the dialogues and story. There are metaphors and allusions to post 9/11 world spread in the film and the more you think about it, more you can connect the dots. It is a world where violence is the first option, it is given. Where the evil does not need any backstory any justification. It is evil. Period. Obviously there are talks of a tormented childhood, but we know that doesn't mean nothing. Injustice suffered in the past can never be justification for spilling blood of innocents. Sounds familiar?

And then there is Heath Ledger… That guy is mad. Nolan has just let him lose in the screen and Ledger lapped up the footage given to him. With glee. Just look at the scene where Joker enjoys the wind in his face out of a car window. You can tell how much he is enjoying the anarchy and chaos created by his devilish mind. What a character! And yes it is #3 in IMDB Top 250 (yes, it is overrated, but that is another story).

Well, there are some more films from my list to blog about... but it is already late. One more hectic day at office is waiting. So, ciao...