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Top articles
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Satyam Shivam Sundaram, Woman's divine double nature
My first impression upon viewing Raj Kapoor’s mythical Satyam shivam sundaram, an impression shared by many other bloggers, is that the Showman had purely and simply been manipulated by his lecherous pulsions, and had also manipulated us spectators! Gone...
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Jodhpur et Udaipur
Enfants à Clock Tower market, Jodhpur Suite à notre séjour universitaire, le programme des étudiants comprenait la visite des villes de Jodhpur et d'Udaipur, où nous sommes à présent. Les trajets que fait notre petit car de 22 places sont plutôt rapides,...
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Why aren't there more Nutan fans?
As unofficially self-proclaimed supporter and glorifier of Nutan, I am proud to admit within the very close circle of Nutan worshippers Sharmi , whose site is devoted to pastime movies, and especially contains some wonderful praise of Nutan Behl. She...
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Pakeezah, Meena Kumari's romantic Swan Song
Of all the commentaries I have read about Kamal Amrohi’s 1972 movie Pakeezah, this one (Upperstall.com) corresponds most to what I thought of it : “Pakeezah is a stylized, larger than life mythicization of the familiar tale of the prostitute with the...
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Jaipur National University
Désolé du délai pour remplir ce blog avec les infos des derniers jours, mais pendant les 4 jours passés à JNU (Jaipur National University), nous ne disposions pas, bizarrement, de réseau internet ou téléphone ! Étrange pour une université ! Cela dit,...
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Peepli live: long live the media!
I thought at first I wouldn’t have much to say about Peepli live (Anusha Rizvi, 2010), but as I started writing, the following article poured out very easily! I had told myself that the film wasn’t much more than a properly engineered denunciation of...
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A suitable boy
Well! I’m pleased to announce that I too have escalated the Everest… Er, I mean I finally read Vikram Seth’s 1472 page novel “ A suitable boy ”, and that it has been a fascinating experience: thanks M. Seth! Such a length is said to be unparalleled in...
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Calcutta Mail, or why Sudhir Mishra's films have urban settings
I watched Calcutta Mail on Jaman (Jaman.com) because of Sudhir Mishra and the good memories I had of Dharavi , Main zinda hoon and Chameli . All three movies are urban movies, and deal with the impact that cities have on the individual, or perhaps rather...
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Guide (1965) Anand's romanticized version of Narayan's story
Some of you might remember that I had promised to watch Guide, by Vijay Anand, the movie based on R.K. Narayan’s novel which I had reviewed here . I had been encouraged by a number of blog reviews, but I must say that I have been rather disappointed....
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Mera Naam Joker: too big? Too much?
The cinematographic monument Mera naam Joker, which was directed, produced and starred by Raj Kapoor took 6 years to complete, cost millions and was a catastrophic flop when it came out in 1972 (see the wikipedia page ). No wonder: the first version was...
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Naseeruddin Shah: the fox is cleverer than the lion
I’ve been longing to write that LetsTalkAboutBollywood article about Naseeruddin Shah for a long time. He’s one of my favourite Indian actors, if not my favourite. Okay, let’s say he is my favourite actor (alive). I suppose it’s natural to take sides,...
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Home and the world: what's in a woman's heart?
In Satyajit Ray’s Home and the world (1984), there is a mystery: why does Nikhil (whose name means “free”), the open-minded husband who wants his wife to espouse modern ideas and leave the traditional confinement of the home (the Purdah), let her see...
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BR Chopra's Naya Daur: the prophecy of a new India
The Brave New World of Naya Daur (New Era, BR Chopra 1957) opens with a striking quote by Mahatma Gandhi: So from the start we know that the film is going to be about the biological (bios = life) relationship between men and the Earth, and that this bond...
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Manzil (1979): do you mind lying and deceit?
Have you ever wondered why you were born poor and not rich ? (if it’s the other way round, you often don’t wonder) Have you asked yourself why this injustice continues in today’s developed world? And if you are a victim of this injustice, have you never...
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The white tiger
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....
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Juhi Chawla: what's behind that smile?
What attracts one to Juhi Chawla is her absolutely irresistible smile. Okay, she was “only” a Miss India (1984), but frankly, Yash Chopra’s idea to cast her as Shahruhk Khan’s idol in Darr is not a bad one, far from it. I believe one can really fall passionately,...
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Ek din achanak: emptiness...
"I wish I could start from scratch. I have done good, bad and indifferent films. I wish I could erase it all and start afresh like the Professor of "Ek Din Achanak" who walked out on his family in a rainy day without even as much as informing anybody....
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The inheritance of loss
It took me a long time to finish The Inheritance of Loss. Not only because there has been so many things to do in the past months, but also because somehow the novel didn’t correspond to what I am at ease with, a real storyline evolving around recognisable...
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Sone ki chidiya, pure gold does not fear the smelter
Watching Sone ki chidiya (the golden bird, Shaheed Latif, 1958) has been a bit of an adventure, because even though I knew it was good, it doesn’t exist with subtitles, and some time has passed before I could get round to understanding everything. And...
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Kaala Patthar, Yash Chopra's Heart of Darkness
Kaala Patthar (“Black stone”) is a grandiose epic movie by Yash Chopra which is at the same time a political and social weapon against reckless capitalism and the exploitation of workers, a story of redemption and sacrifice, and a suspense-full entertainer,...
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The cloud-capped star: Heaven and earth's glory
One cloud-capped day, somewhere along the bank of a Bengali river where waterfowl chirp their little bedeep, bedeep, a young woman clad in white walks out of the canopy of some century-old oaks that spread their gigantic branches all the way to the river...
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What's the matter with Mani Ratnam?
It came to me as a big surprise to learn that a large fraction of the Indian cinema goers do not appreciate Mani Ratnam. I was reading this article by Anita Nair , which sums up the criticism: - All his movies have been hyped excessively - His movies...
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Devi: can religious belief be inhuman?
I think I can safely say that Satyajit Ray all his life tried to fight for individual rights and a critical outlook on traditions. If you have in mind the film Ganashatru (An enemy of the people) , where a Western-looking scientist struggles against the...
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Arth: ideologically loaded weapon of feminine emancipation
When I first watched this 1982 movie by Mahesh Bhatt I knew it was a good one, so many people had written so already. I knew that the main roles were exceptional, Shabana Azmi (Pooja) and Smita Patil (Kavita) leading the team. But Kulbhushan Kharbanda...
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The city with a beating heart: Delhi 6
A soft breeze wafts the chimney tops on the morning terraces; night clouds trail away in the East. Bustle and rumours from the city all around; calls and shouts close and far, muffled car honks, and the familiar smell of the city. You’re in Delhi. Oh,...