Blog-ette # 5: The year of the Heroine

Trends in culture and social responses to them don't really tend to follow calendars and dates as much as eras and periods. Yet it's always a good thing to stop at the end of every calendar year, and purely for bookkeeping purposes, take notes on the emergent trends from the previous year however nascent or transient they might be. This thought brings me to the one particular trend I found myself surrounded by. In 2014, by chance or choice, I found myself championing strongly with the acting efforts of a few actresses, both in the honesty they bring to the table as an actor and the way they manage to embed their charm to the character's aura. As such, of the several things in Cinema that were part of new-found-land for me in 2014,  the most prominent one was me becoming an ardent follower of a few actresses. Here are some reflections on these dames.

Scarlett Johannson - Film buffs and fan boys alike recognize the respectable career of Scar-Jo given her now admirable portfolio with its fine balance of mainstream cinema and indie/arthouse fore. She's garnered good attention with her work in The Other Boleyn Girl, Lost in Translation and other similar works and at the same time, has been an outright bedroom poster girl with outings like The Black Widow in Marvel's eponymous Avengers series. I must admit I'd overlooked all of this till this year, when she voiced the most enigmatic yet sexy computer in 'Her', portrayed an Angelina-esque action figure in 'Lucy', fiddled with indie stuff in 'Chef' and yet took time out to stun film buffs with her portrayal of the terrifying yet sexy alien character in 'Under The Skin'.

Amy Adams - I'm deeply haunted by the beauty in Amy's eyes. Her eyes seem to belong to a person that is naive and innocent yet has the wisdom of a lifetime. They have a moist teariness to them which might probably be due to a sparkle of enthusiasm as much as it could be due to pain. She brought all of these emotions to her celebrated role in 'American Hustle' but she outshines that character with her portrayal of a nerdy tom-boyish lady in 'Her' who is as casual as she is elegant. I'm not sure how much of a pun Tim Burton based his casting choices on when he chose her for his latest venture 'Big Eyes'

Rosamund Pike - Glenn Close, over time, has specialized in a certain niche of characters. Characters of powerful, slightly vulnerable, professional women who make love and life choices out of their own whims and might almost make the right template fits for the ideal independent woman. I have a feeling Rosamund Pike is soon becoming the Glenn Close of her generation. She oozes an undercurrent of sexuality and vulnerability, yet is in deft control of professionalism as a lawyer in 'Jack Reacher' while she absolutely strikes it out of the ball park in 'Gone Girl' vying quite well to be the best sexy villains of all time.

Marlee Matlin - The first of my chance finds this year, I thought Marlee Matlin stood her firm ground amidst intimidating cast in the TV drama 'The West Wing'. She brings a radiance to her character as a humble yet surefooted political consultant. An expiry date on Netflix's streaming line-up then forced me to watch 'Children of a Lesser God' which only refurbished my initial impressions of Marlee as an actress. She plays a deaf person (the actress is actually deaf, a factor which in no way diminishes her acting traits) in the film who is conflicted between finding herself, trusting love and blending socially with society. The portrayal is so emphatic, strong and confident that I'd ended up wanting to watch more of her.

Patricia Arquette - A friend of mine invited me to watch David Lynch's enigmatic 'Lost Highway' at his place, leading to my discovery of Patricia Arquette. She's stunning in the flick with a gloomy beauty and gravity to her two characters, essentially the same woman portrayed by two radiant skins. We followed this viewing up with 'True Romance' a couple of weeks later, which, for me, established that she was no one trick wonder. She portrays a naive and bubbly girl to the core in this flick only to surprise the viewer by deftly pulling off a gallant and bloody fist fight with a goon shot resplendent Tony Scott style. This culminated in me strongly vouching out for her when I later went to watch 'Boyhood' and the plethora of supporting actress nominations she's received world over speak for that outing.

Meryl Streep - I must confess I was never quite acknowledging of what a tremendous actress Meryl Streep is. Being cognizant of awards proceedings, her name pops up all the time but it hasn't really occurred that I'd actually seen her in a flick. Well, that changed with a viewing of 'Sophie's Choice'. She turns out such a delicate performance in the flick, as a Jew immigrant in New York city, still troubled by her past under the Nazis while she tries to move on in her life through a series of lovers. Seldom have I seen an actress play a part embedded by a fine thread that weaves together sensuality, vulnerability, grit and pain.

This exposition of female performances in cinema that have struck me with awe this past year explains the one trend that I guess underlined movies for me in 2014 - the year dedicated to celebrating some fine heroines in Cinema. It was only a poetic coincidence that Hindi cinema also churned out some delectable shows by actresses in movies like Queen, Highway, Haider and Hasee Toh Phasee. As 2015 progresses in movie-going for me, I'm keeping an eye out for girl-power.

Three phrase retrospectives: 2014

As I tweeted earlier, year ends are field days for bloggers, as retrospectives make terrific subjects for new blogs. Well, I'm jumping in on the bandwagon here. And in typical fashion, since this is my movie blog, here's my two pence on the films I got to watch this past year. Now, the list doesn't essentially include only those films that came out in 2014. I have a few flicks from 2013 that were amongst the prime Oscar contenders. Well, being in a university means that they've free screenings of the previous year's best films and I took the best advantage of that. Alongside these are the typical weekend films as in, the films and TV shows on Netflix. Since, that list is generally exhaustive owing to frequent couch movie marathons, I included those that caught my eye or rather stayed with me for some reason or the other. Of course, I have the occasional Hindi movie thrown in for good measure, which brings me to express utter disappointment when I say there was not one Telugu movie that I felt was worth spending my time on. So much for the second largest film industry in India.

Well, moving on to warmer thoughts, I tried giving in a twist to this rewind note. Well, reviews for films are scattered all over these days and a mighty lot of them are probably way better written than what I'd be able to fathom. For an immediate expression of what I personally felt after watching any movie, I'd probably need to start using Letterboxd, the time for which wasn't on my side so far. So that makes up for one new new year's resolution for me. So, what I did here is to just use three phrases to describe what I felt were three best/worst aspects of each of these movies. Here it goes then. The three phrase retrospective of 2014 -

Her : Scarlett Johannson's voice, finding love, humanity's social fabric

Omar : Human desperation in conflicted times, Love & War, gutsy Indie film making

Highway : Alia Bhatt surprises, Imtiaz goes Indie, Rahman goes Indie

 The Great Beauty : Companion piece to 'La Dolce Vita', soundtrack, cinematography

12 Years a Slave : Steve McQueen's intriguing surrealism, Mike Fassbender's villainy antics, Brad Pitt's southern accent

True Romance : Patricia Arquette being sexy and ferocious, Tony Scott's camera antics, Tarantino's dialogue

Lost Highway : Patricia Arquette being sexy and enigmatic, David Lynch's mysterious artistry, screenplays that incite endless discussion

Dallas Buyer's Club : Matthew McConaughey elicits emotions, Jared Leto impresses, Alright alright alright!

Nymphomaniac 1 & 2 : Mindboggling screenwriting, sheer sense of awe, ballsy cast

Captain Phillips : Paul Greengrass proves versatility, classic 'based on a real story' thriller, stand offs between Tom Hanks and Barkhad Abdi

John Wick : Nonsensical action flick, A waste of Keanu Reeves' talent, unimpressive exercise in style

The Grand Budapest Hotel : Most fun had in ages, charming storytelling, gorgeous visuals

The Lunchbox : Sublime storytelling, Nawaz Siddiqui's naivete, Neemrat Kaur's elegance

The Hustler : Paul Newman outshines everything, standard classic movie dialogue, taut storytelling

Need for Speed : Best car stunts in some time, Aaron Paul disappoints, dull pacing for an action flick

Under the Skin : Scarlett Johansson's brooding appeal, indulgent camera work, screenplays that incite endless discussion

Tahilina Sky : Kings of Leon soundtracks, rustic storytelling, honest documentary

The Ice Storm : Makes one take Ang Lee seriously, Sigourney Weaver's eyes, Christina Ricci dazzles

Dedh Ishqiya : Soundtrack, bold screenwriting, impeccable cast

Five Easy Pieces : An interesting side of Jack Nicholson, a haunting ending shot, a great monologue

Das Boot : Brilliant filmmaking techniques, seldom seen side of WW2, gutsy direction

Sophie's Choice : Meryl Streep's show through and through, undercurrents of sensuality, undercurrents of subtle emotions

The Office : Steve Carrell, Rainn Wilson, great writing

Twin Peaks : David Lynch pushes enigmatic boundaries, female cast, Red lounge soundtrack

Children of a Lesser God : Undercurrents of passion, Marlee Matlin's striking presence, William Hurt's jocular senses

From Here to Eternity : Impeccable execution, Frank Sinatra's timing, sublime plot

Shadows and Fog : Mia Farrow's elegance, quirky conversations in unusual scenarios, dazzling cinematography

Roman Holiday : Typical Italian charm in characters, Audrey Hepburn's beauty, visuals of Rome

Little White Lies : Balance of grimness and humor in script, introspective tendencies, Marion Cotillard's show

The Day I Saw your Heart : Exposition of Melanie Laurent's talent, soundtrack, subtle take on human relations

Guess who's coming to dinner : Spencer Tracy's monologue, Katherine Hepburn's poise, dialogue

Found Memories : deliberate pacing of scenes, profundity amidst extreme vagueness, gorgeous visuals

Just a Sigh : Intimacy between characters, subtlety in narration, brooding camera work

Jack Reacher : Sheer unadulterated fun, gripping storytelling, undercurrent of passion between Tom and Rosamund

Neighbors : Great premise, awful execution, Seth Rogen's wasted talent

Godzilla : Bad male lead, great storytelling technique, wrong publicity technique

Restrepo/Korengal : Gutsy documentation, unique subject, thrilling premise

Snowpiercer : A plot that incites introspection, undercurrent of social comment, decently interesting execution

Life Itself : Roger Ebert tribute, dedicated documentation, good moments of resonance

Boyhood : Historical landmark in filmmaking, Patricia Arquette exuding warmth, soundtrack

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes : Overrated drudgery, decent screenplay, achieves nothing special

Gone Girl : Terrific soundtrack-narration interplay, great balance of wit and thrill, Rosamund Pike vying for being sexiest villain ever

Fury : Stunning war visuals, unique battle tank perspective, Shia Lebouf's poignant show

Interstellar : Great silence-soundtrack balance, stunning space visuals, typical Nolan screenwriting

PK : Typical Raju Hirani lecturing, surprisingly subtle antics by Aamir Khan, execution lets down script's ambitions

Breakfast at Tiffany's : Manhattan as a backdrop, Audrey Hepburn's elegance, undercurrents of introspective storytelling

Three phrase retrospectives shall return in 2016. And possibly with a letterboxd page attached to it. Till then, have a great year in Cinema experiences folks...

Blog-ette #4: Of 'three-act' Screenplays , adaptations and thoughts on three flicks!

Back in December last year, shortly after watching "The Wolf of Wall Street" with a friend, I got into a thought-provoking conversation with him over dinner. Both of us were fresh off separate viewings of "American Hustle" and we couldn't help but compare notes about what we felt about the two movies; particularly with respect to their treatments and cinematic styles. My pal was clear in his choice when it comes to the two flicks. From a complete cinema experience stand-point, 'Hustle' took the cake for him. He felt it'd managed to drive a point home while 'Wolf' was a bit loose-ended; a feeling left without closure. Now, being a staunch Scorsese fan, I'd have expected myself to defend 'Wolf' against all odds, however, somehow, I couldn't. Rather, I was left questioning myself as to why that sense of closure was indeed missing with 'Wolf' and was rather totally present with 'Hustle' despite both of them, in my book, having been exceptionally written, and containing distinctive flavors their respective directors could only give them, with some brilliant performances by their casts.

Now, keen observers and Scorsese fanatics (yours truly included) would notice the fact that David O.Russell has been infusing a hint or two of the classic Scorsese filmmaking cues into his flicks, albeit with his own distinctive touch. Fast and restless camera movements, heavy dialogue with multiple characters speaking simultaneously, et al. These were quite evident with David's last outing, "Silver Linings Playbook" and they had their fair share in 'Hustle' too! What all of this brings to the table are deeply probing character studies. Heedless to the scenario the flick is set in, (boxing in 'The Fighter'; romance between mentally instable people in 'Silver Linings'; 70s style crime setting in 'Hustle'), the audience is thrust into the world of the people shown in the flick - not the mere gravity of the situation they're in, but the effect it has on their emotions and reactions. This is innately a powerful way to get the viewers love the characters and begin to care for them; which eventually leads on to that sense of closure when the flick takes these characters to a happy ending. This is exactly where the differential factor between 'Hustle' and 'Wolf' lies; and I could discern it only after watching yet another flick devoid of a sense of closure for the aforementioned friend (and to an extent, me too) despite general reverence; '12 Years a Slave'; The factor? - adapted screenplays.

Come to think of it, all three aforementioned flicks have screenplays adapted from previous real life incidents expressed in books (in the case of 'Hustle', a much reported scam from yesteryears). Yet each flick is treated in a different shade. 'Hustle' is a script tailored to be a flick that falls into the 'heist' regime, originally to be directed by Ben Affleck, before David got on board. The characters are caricatures of their real life counterparts, with several idiosynchracies thrown and boy, are the cast adept at portraying them! One can not miss the evidence that the flick has the conventional 'three-act' structure, comprising 'scenario establishment'-'conflict escalation'-'resolution' in chronological order. It does have randomization of the events thrown in, with the supremely hilarious segment starting with Chris Bale meticulously arranging his coiffure leading onto past plot narration and then  on to further events. Sensational scenes are abound, including the segment involving the meet with the mafia group from Miami (De Niro sneaks in a stylish part there) and the 'treat-to-watch' kiss scene between Amy and Jennifer. However, all that adds upto the third act, the much needed conclusion that drives characters to an ending, its condition notwithstanding. I'm guessing this is what brings that sense of closure to someone in the audience who's spent about 120 minutes empathizing with those on the screen.

However, when it comes to 'Wolf' and '12 years', the essence of developing the screenplay was always about fulfilling the compulsion to tell a story that someone read somewhere and found a sense of connection in. With 'Wolf', it was DeCaprio's persistent urge to get a story so deeply rooted in Caligula-esque decadence be filmed (by Scorsese, no less) and with '12 years', McQueen finds his voice in filming a 19th century novel about slavery. Both flicks stay true to their sources, with episodes largely derived from respective books. Although it is not pretty evident in 'Wolf', what with Scorsese employing his mastered techniques, there's a sense of first-person narrative effect in how the screenplay is paced and established. As if, the protagonist was narrating the entire thing over to you on a cold evening while seated by the fireplace, and while doing that, he is taking liberty in just mere accountance of the events that happened, whilst throwing special emphasis on certain events that had the deepest impact and invoked the strongest emotions out of him. In '12 years', the part on how he's captured is done away with in a montage of scenes, while the part where Lupita's character is tortured is recounted in intricate detail. The same effect is present in 'Wolf' where much of the profanity with the prostitutes is shot in montages but the one where DeCaprio struggles and crawls to his Lambo is exploited with great interest.

What this shows is how these two flicks are so fixated on telling the story true to how it might have happened in the real world, regardless of the effect the audience might carry over. They're content with letting the audiences carry a sense of discomfort away from the flick and then mull over it. (And most flicks usually contain that as their very essence). Often, what happens outside the theatre seldom has closures, there's always a moment of angst, a moment of redemption, but life as it is, goes on. Jordan Belfort is still out there, largely unpunished, and continuing to inspire people to be greedy. Solomon Northup could never bring his captors to stand on trial. Life; is like that.

Puri Jagannadh and The act of wasting a brilliant idea!

        It is a repetitive, overtly conventional and unadventurous world that we live in. More so, the realms of Telugu Cinema are just that and nothing else. That said, it takes more than a spark to come up with an idea for a ‘different’ Telugu movie. An idea that not only stands out amongst the rest by being honest and novel but also ends up being accepted and lauded by the multitude of Telugu Cinema audience.  Well, briefly, it just takes plain guts to come up with such an idea and then, stick to it!
         I must admit the only director in Telugu Cinema who has managed to excite me the maximum number of times, well, almost with every new project he announces, is Puri Jagannadh. Before I sermon you with the reason and the subsequent rant that this blog is all about, first, let me get over with the customary trivia. Undoubtedly, Puri is amongst the most celebrated directors we have in Tollywood. He has both the privilege to be chosen as the director for the launchpad movies of A-List star’s offspring and the liberty to choose whichever A-List star he wants to work with next. He makes movies that draw impressive budgets, skilled technicians, glam-dolls from half way around the world to act and dance and above all, average (at the worst) to mammoth box office collections into the kittybag.
          Yet, talk about him is incomplete without reference to the list of the above mentioned novel and ballsy ideas he seems to effortlessly dish out. And going by the rate at which he’s doling out movies these past couple of years, that list sure feels endless. Precisely there-in lies my aforementioned admiration and simultaneous disdain for all things Puri Jagannadh. Let me lay it bare here that the thoughts expressed henceforth might only make sense on a parallel universe, one that is fundamentally based on auteurism and an enthusiasm for art, sublimity and subtleties of life and not in the current Telugu Cinema scenario. Hence, for all the acridity I spew out, Puri’s not to be blamed. Blame Telugu Cinema, as I did here or its audience, as I'm going to do in an upcoming blog.
Yes; the Ideas! The reason why I get excited everytime Puri embarks on a new project is the conceptual idea the film is based on. More often than not, these ideas are about individuals facing a complex, interesting, traumatizing and life changing situation. They’re about challenging the absurd conventions our society is based on.  They’re about studying remarkable characters with a magnifying lens. These ideas, they’re truly novel, brilliant and acute. Take "Badri", Puri’s debut film. A man plays a casual game with his childhood sweetheart where he has to make someone love him; and when he actually manages to do that, he finds himself torn between his childhood love and his new-found affection for the new girl. "Itlu Sravani Subrahmaniam" – Two people planning to die, meet by chance, spend a day together, commit suicide and survive only to find love in each other and a wishful life awaiting them. "Idiot" – The story of a reckless yet strikingly street smart character and the way he faces life. "Amma Nanna Oo Tamil Ammayi" – About how a guy born to a separated couple loses his mother whom he spent his entire life with, and has to go to his father, who he never knew. "Shivamani" – How a girl realizes that the guy she’s infatuated with had a daunting past love story and is strewn apart from his love and helps him find his past love. "Pokiri" – How an undercover cop deftly cleans out the mob plaguing his city. "Desamuduru" – The intriguing prospect of a monk falling in love with a stranger and the soul-search for the reason why one would choose austerity over life.  "Bujjigadu" – A tongue in cheek tale of a rift between childhood pals turned lovers and how they get back together. "Neninthe" - A telescopic take on the nuances of the Telugu Film Industry and the lives of actors and technicians struggling to make it big in tinsel town. "Ek Niranjan" – On how a street-beggar can be more than just that by using his wit and helping cops out (cue: Salaam Bombay was based on something like this). "Bumper Offer" - The story of a guy who challenges to rip his love’s father off all his riches in retort to a monetary offer made by the latter. (An ode to Chiranjeevi’s “Challenge” hidden in there somewhere?)  "Golimaar" - Of how a gangster hunting innocent cop who’s wrongly framed vows revenge and becomes a gangster himself. "Nenu Naa Rakshasi" -  A psychological inquiry into the act of suicide, the story of a girl adamant on killing herself and the guy whose desperate to stop her. "Bbuddah….Hoga Terra Baap" - Another tongue in cheek expression of bringing back the best of a veteran celebrated actor to the frontline and revisiting everything that he has been so celebrated for.  "BusinessMan" - The story of a guy who tries to reinvent the mob scene in Mumbai by introducing the concept of organized crime-corporate style. "Devudu Chesina Manushulu" - About two orphans and how life brings them together. "Cameraman Ganga Toh Rambabu" - The quintessential sarcastic note on the current media and political environment.
         When I write the above notes, the description for each flick inspires thoughts of great movies from around the world; those from the chapters of the sensitive French New Wave Cinema, the clinical American Political dramas, the pop cultural EuroTrash Cinema; the new age Indie Documentaries, etc.  Now, in that parallel Universe I took the liberty of invoking earlier, the above mentioned ideas would have spawned some mesmerizing, strong and thoughtful flicks. Flicks that could have uplifted the spirit, ambition and purport of Telugu Cinema to a different notch altogether! Yet all Puri could do was have these rhapsodic ideas in the first place, and then take them and add in the quintessentially heavy mix of commercial formulaic ingredients to cook up so called “entertainers” overwrought with absurd logic, irritating screen acts and intolerable, and occasionally obscene, movie elements.
         As I indulge in my idyllic banter, there he is dishing out another movie based on yet another poignant idea. "Heart Attack", his latest venture which is out on screens as we speak, is about a guy who stalks a girl purely out of lust only to find initial rejection and subsequent unconditional love from the girl, who in turn is herself not ready for an emotional commitment despite her confessions to falling in love. Doesn't that sound like material coming out of an auteur? I bet it'd only be a few days time before my enthusiasm for this film is watered down by yet another 'typical Puri entertainer'.
          It’s another day’s (or another blog or two’s) story as to why these ideas did not get to be explored the way they could have been in the first place; if Puri was compelled to succumb to the Telugu Cinema scene or if it was just purely his vagabond cinematic instinct. As I recall, I can surely say Badri was, to date, his most honest effort; the movie still has oodles of freshness and appeal. And yet, I must credit him for his gusto in pulling off projects without compromising on their initiating ideas, the end result notwithstanding. Only, as a cinema enthusiast in the fundamental sense, and an admirer for Puri Jagannadh, how I wish those ideas kicked off the way they could have. How I wish there was that parallel Universe!

Blog-ette #3: Thoughts on 'Her'

Warning: Might contain spoiler-ish notes, devoid of which, the point this article wants to make cant be driven home.

One of the most thought provoking movie scenes I've seen in recent times has absolutely no visual (yes, a blacked out screen), accompanied by the sound of a man and woman having sex, moaning in intimate passion as they climax. The man in question is a middle aged writer, Theodore Twombly  (Joaquin Pheonix), and the woman, his advanced artificially intelligent operating system with a female voice and personality, Samantha (voiced seductively all over by Scarlett Johansson). The scene runs for about 15 seconds and would probably be one of those surreal moments one'd come upon in a theatre in absolute darkness, as Spike Jonze's "Her" pushes the viewer into a momentary limbo characterized by contemplation about the fascinating pretext of the movie alongside basking in the mounting passion between the protagonist and his OS. Even the way the scene is set up in the screenplay shows how much thought has gone into writing this script. Only, earlier, Theodore participates in a futile phone sex attempt which leaves him disgusted; whilst this unexpected passion gives Samantha a chance to feel her human self amid an increasing consciousness of feelings and emotions.

A deeply though-out script (which won the 2014 Golden Globe for Best Screenplay), executed with great fervor by Spike and aided in the process by a skillful ensemble of actors, a mellow soundtrack and gorgeous cinematography that brings a futuristic Los Angeles to life and makes you wish it really turned out that beautiful; "Her" would be that film, which,  if you're watching with a loved one, would make you clasp hands by the time its done with you. The movie has three distinct yet overlapping paradigms carefully layered over each other. On one level, it talks of the innate nature and complications involved in the process of being human, on a second level, it subconsciously becomes a social critique on the increasingly isolated human social fabric, where humans would have stronger relations with their personal computers than the people around them and on a third level, it vaguely leaves with us a thought about the infinite extents to which human thought and philosophy can proceed provided our physical and mental limitations on the worldly realm don't exist.

The first level is what happens predominantly through the flick, as each character goes through an individual phase of joy, personal loss, redemption, self-admittance and other emotions and feelings, that characterize the essential human existence. Here's where the cast shines through. Amy Adams does a magical transformation from her raunchy yet vulnerable dame-self in 'American Hustle' into a cheerful and kid-like yet vulnerable two plaited tom-boyish game designer, Amy, who happens to be Theodore's only close friend. Olivia Wilde, in her limited screen time, comes through as a distraught yet sympathetically beautiful woman hopelessly looking for commitment from a blind date, who Theodore just hopes to have sex with for the night. The third woman we come across is Rooney Mara's turn in as Catherine, Theodore's soon-to-be ex-wife. Rooney is one of those few actresses currently working in tinsel town who have a slight physical frailty that adds up to a fragile depth and beauty to their characters. She turned this into a striking tenacity for her version of the famed Lisbeth Salander and here, she uses it to portray a woman whose voice and emotions have not been attended to in the past. And then we have one of the masters of underplay, Joaquin Phoenix, who turns in an act as touching as the letters Theodore writes for his clients. (He works as an author of letters in a company that you can pay to get a great letter written to your loved one, which I'm guessing, is another angle of the social critique I talked of).


The second layer, the social critique shows up subtly in places and frames, like the shots as Theodore rides the subway, where each person is shown to be talking to himself, or actually his personal computer through an ear-phone. It made me want to seriously look at what place social conversation, or in fact connection, is headed to in our increasingly self-involved lifestyles. The premise is quite similar to that note one can find on Facebook memes that shows a restaurant plaque shouting "We don't have wifi here, talk to each other at your tables". However, hope comes in the form of the OS talked of earlier and the intentions that would have designed something like that. Because even in a world with decreasingly relevant inter personal communication and fading relations, humans need and seek an interaction that's as close to human as it can get. We'd need the idle banter, the impromptu humor (of which, there is bundles sneaked into the script, making the film a breeze for non art-house audiences), the occasional sexual connect, heart break, introspection, understanding and perpetual love. That is where the third layer gracefully enters the scene, with Samantha slowly realizing what it is to be human, realizing and maintaining the essential nuances and finally using her ability to broach the infinite spaces lurking beyond the time-space continuum bounding actual humanity. Because, that's what we humans probably are, consistently in the search for those moments of joy, moments of self-realization, and the answers for our questions about life, its purport and our brief parts in it.

Telugu-thanam - 2

For starters, I'm glad that I get a chance to write another post with a title I used way back in 2009. Rather, it looks like I'm bringing an extension (or should I rather call it a sequel?) of the title with this one; and I hope I'd have to do it more often than not, in which case I plan to convert this as a separate label on my blog. For readers who do not understand Telugu, here's what the title says out loud - "Being Telugu". As this blog of mine essentially started out as a platform for throwing the spotlight on a few good songs that lie around us but are typically overlooked, the basic premise of this title was to throw a similar spotlight on such music in the Telugu music and film industry (particularly, the popular parts of the industry), where the focus has been to find songs that actually have profound Telugu literature and lyrics in them. I should probably rightly say, 'stumble upon', than 'find' as the chances of finding a well written Telugu song these days is poorer than finding drink-able water in the river 'Musi' in the midst of Hyderabad!

Well, the track in question, "Choosthunna", came out a couple of years ago, in 2011 to be precise, and I've been trying to write this post ever since I first heard it (Yes, I'm 'THAT' lazy at blogging). Its part of the soundtrack composed by Babu Shankar for the film "Mogudu", directed by one of the more impactful directors in the Telugu Cinema scene, Krishna Vamsi. I shall not talk about the 'impact' the movie actually had on its characters (pun intended), let alone the audiences. I digress here, and shall indulge myself with the song.

I can say two things primarily. One, no one can clearly and sufficiently summarize the importance marriage has for Indians, and of course, the Telugu people. The value it commands, the beauty it holds and just the sheer amount of excitement and change it brings to the average Indian life is astounding. Take that and two, make the venerable Sirivennela Seetaramasastry pen words for a song on that. The recipe is alluring enough already! (as alluring as Pulihora (Tamarind Rice) on a festive morning). Word on the street in the industry is if you have a hefty topic to make an allegory on, and you've Seetaramasastry writing the song, the composer is in for a difficult day at the studio!

Thankfully in this case, Shankar carries it off with elegance as he infuses intense melody for the vocal tracks with very subtle instrumentals. The percussion base doesn't tread the traditional Tabla line, with those much exploited tempos and rather maintains a slightly funky electronic-techno note and a faster tempo, with a slight riff on the Tabla playing along constantly. A humble thrum of a guitar keeps company somewhere at the back, but violin takes precedence and majorly has its own duet with the vocals through the song. I absolutely love the way, the violin notes don't exactly follow the same tune as the vocals, but have their own intensity which complements the vocals; which Karthik (the by-default singer for a good song in Telugu these days?) renders with his nonchalant efficiency.

I would probably need a couple or more Ph.Ds in Telugu literature before I can fully be able to comment on the way Seetaramasastry writes. However, what catches my attention is the way this song talks more about how the groom's beginning to feel about the bride and his marriage (which is probably demanded by the film's script), than just generally line up accolades to the process of wedding itself. That lends a more human touch to the entire song, in a way where the groom says that he is just submerged with wonder and curiosity, for the bride and what she's bringing into his life. The words that say that he's finding himself, or a new reflection of his in the bride just drive the point home. The, there are the stanzas, one, talking about the panache she has in the way she's decked up for the wedding and the second, talking about what he would do with her in his life. Each line has a strong motif to a classic element of the Telugu culture, yet figuratively, all these motifs delicately apply themselves back to our average lives. All this talk just makes me go back to school and sit in one of my Telugu classes. (And I'm so glad I got a shot at learning the language academically, while I could).

I'll leave you, fellow language enthusiasts, music lovers and Telugu folks, on that note with a suggestion to go check out the song when you can and if possible, dig up and read the lyrics. I'm sure it'll leave you a smile on the face no less. Meanwhile, I'm off to the usual ranting on the pathetic state of Telugu cinema, its music and literature, with the meager hope of reviving and writing a sequel to this title again! 

Blog-ette #2: Of a diluted purist and a style quotient: Trivikram Srinivas and Pawan Kalyan...

            This is about two people (out of five) from the Telugu film fraternity who happen to be the only folks to have stirred my deepest instincts for cinema. The two in question would be director Trivikram Srinivas and actor Pawan Kalyan. The other three are actors Prakaash Raaj, Mahesh Babu and Brahmanandam. I must mention, there's no particular order in which I list them here, for I marked each of them for their respective talents and subtleties. I'd deliberately timed this post with that of the release of another venture in the partnership of  Trivikram and Pawan, "Atharintiki Daaredi", which like much of Pawan's earlier work is garnering a 'confluence of extremities'-'love-hate' response from people who've watched it and bothered to review - they outright choose to be on either of the banks and not in the middle. Reviews, comments and a rigorous critique - I leave out of the scope of this post and would like to conveniently walk down memory lane with the works of Trivikram and Pawan, to mark the occasion per se. 

              I remember being a 'Star Movies-HBO' kid in high school, consistently hating Indian Cinema for not being Hollywood, and then watching "Athadu". This one movie made me completely banish my fondled hatred for Telugu Cinema, stand up and take notice, of an emerging set of actors, film makers and technicians that could really make a difference. Trivikram's screenplay and dialogue for the flick were terrific, Mahesh's action an absolute coming-of-age act and the movie in totality, a riot to watch. Upon later viewings I began to appreciate the dynamism of Guhan's cinematography, some of the motifs Trivikram has cleverly snuck in, and how Manisharma's music deftly complements the mood in every scene. The scene where Nandu jumps on the train is skillfully ripped off from the English movie, "U.S.Marshals",  and yet, the one where Nandu enters a dead Parthu's house and later confesses his love for Puri are absolute scorchers in originality. Repeat viewings meant I was sealed a fan of Trivikram. That meant revisiting some older flicks which he wrote scripts and screenplays for ("Manmadhudu", "Nuvve Nuvve") and enjoying them to the core. I disliked "Jalsa" initially, only to go back and watch it, and appreciate the so many fine details he has explicitly sprinkled all over that script.  Then came "Khaleja", a movie I avow is probably, his finest, most heartfelt work and is probably among the few movies that a Telugu film maker and his crew have made with the utmost passion for staying true to spirit, undeterred by hindrances. All of this culminated in me, booking the tickets for the first day's show to "Julayi", and dragging a sick( I mean, ill, actually!) and cursing cousin along to the show. Might I say, I was having goosebumps in the way the movie unfolded right till the moment the blatant "Dark Knight" rip off started! The scene in which Kota Srinivas Rao's character discusses the robbery plan with Sonu Sood's gang marks polished and classy film making. Then the rip offs, flimsy editing and wanton commercialism ditch sensibility and Trivikram's charm for banality and boredom. I was very disappointed. Trivikram has always been a beta version of Mani Ratnam, a filmmaker who stood by traditional Indian Cinema conventionalities (songs, 'commercial' elements that woo audiences, etc) and yet tried his hand in infusing originality with each and every element of the film. With "Julaayi", I was worried that given "Khaleja"s rejection by the audiences, if he has finally bitten the Box-Office bug(?)

             For generations of cinema goers, other than what it usually is, cinema also meant one thing. A gateway to a dreamy world of fashion, style, exotic locations, mean machines, colors one has never seen, graphics one has seldom imagined - briefly, production design that wows. I'd say Indian Cinema has fared decently on this front moving from one stage to the other via salient transitional points - actors who gracefully brought in new styles, directors with vision, etc. The primary thing I'd always liked about Pawan Kalyan was that he has been one such salient point, not once, but consistently through his career. Way before the current crop of actors woke up to the glamour of cinema and that needed for it, and before older actors realized the need for extensive makeovers, Pawan was changing the scene, credit probably going to some or the other extent to the plethora of technicians working on his projects. What's notable is how effortlessly he does that. GAP hoodies, custom made trousers and shirts, rap songs and hip hop, college hangouts, Harleys, Ninjas, RD350s and KTMs, funky character names, fashionable home environs, the works. Naturally, the industry and other actors followed suit, but none fit into these moulds as smoothly as he did. He even went ahead and directed a flick, "Johnny", one which I much like and would place among the finest Telugu flicks ever. More on that, plus talk about his other movies to be followed in another post. 

              For now, I'm just holding mixed emotions - of hope, anxiety, curiosity for "Atharintiki Daredi" and all the future works of these two focal points of the Telugu film industry. Rumour has it, they plan to partner in on a production house that can nurture new talent. Wonder what wonders that can churn out!