Let's talk about Bollywood!

Provoked, a battle for battered women's freedom

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 19:15:00 +0100

Strange that it was Jagmohan Mundhra (of the fame of Sexual Malice and other cheap erotic thrillers) who was fortunate enough to have been able to shoot this story, the true story of a battered Punjabi woman who after 10 years of domestic violence decided to set fire on her torturing[...]

Paying guest (1957) and a celebration of Nutan's perfection

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 22:47:00 +0100

Paying guest by Subodh Mukherji (1957) is not completely worth its two and a half hours of watching: it’s just another 2^nd class romantic comedy with elements of drama and thriller. It incorporates all the elements of a standard family show: good-looking actors, suspense, slapstick,[...]

The white tiger

Sat, 02 Jan 2010 16:40:00 +0100

The white tiger is a rare genetic variation of the normally ochre-skinned feline that is both feared and respected as the king of animals in Asia. But it’s also a 2008 novel by Aravind Adiga which the press has acclaimed and which I’ve just finished reading. Somebody (The publishers weekly)[...]

Shatranj ke Khilari, ode to a lost kingdom

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 18:43:00 +0100

("Make way for Queen Victoria!")

Shatranj ke Khilari (1977, The chess players) shows how close Satyajit Ray has come to Shakespearian inspiration. In this story of two gentlemen of Lucknow we have the dilemma of the good king, made powerless by a power stronger than his own; we have the[...]

Saudagar (1973): marriage is a business, alas!

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 14:54:00 +0100

I was first informed of Saudagar (« the trader » 1973), by Sudhendu Roy, through Carla and given my unruly interest for Nutan, and my unabated appreciation of Big B, I decided that I couldn’t wait any more, and I got that disc. It’s a very simple story, that of Moti (Amitabh), a village[...]

Sagina: a freedom beyond politics

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:27:00 +0100

Sagina (1974), a hindi remake of the bengali Sagina Mahato, shot by the same director (Tapan Sinha) four years before, is a reflexion on work exploitation, oppression and revolution. The story is set in the “tea gardens” of North-East India, in the forties, and centres around the[...]

Bazaar (1982), or how to buy women

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 23:02:00 +0100

Sagar Sarhadi has only directed one movie, and otherwise is known for having worked as Yash Chopra’s screenplay writer. This movie, Bazaar, (1982) supposedly belongs to “New Indian Cinema”, and it feels like it wanted to belong. It isn’t a bad film, but its defects show rather too much.[...]

Sujata, an untouchable Nutan

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 23:48:00 +0100

In Sujata (The well-born, 1959), Bimal Roy has made the untouchable touching, adorable an object of disgust, and visible a pit of darkness. I’m not saying that he has made THE unique Dalit movie (I don’t know which one this would be… Ankur? ), but for me the character he’s cast as the[...]

Anari (1959), naive hero in a naive movie

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:08:00 +0100

Anari (1959), by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, in spite of its numerous defects, represents a compromise between the quality cinema strain started by Raj Kapoor, and its commercial exploitation. The movie is clearly inspired by SD Narang’s Dilli ka thug, which came out a year before, with Kishore[...]

Taare zameen par, Aamir's Khan view of childhood

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:32:00 +0100

Taare zameen par (2007) was Aamir Khan’s début movie as director; and for a “beginner’s” movie, it’s a rather good one. Does this sound rather bland? Yes, I admit, from the point of view of universal cinema quality. It’s probably because the story is just too predictable, and the perspective[...]