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Top articles
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Manzil (1960), a photographer's camera obscura
Manzil (Mandi Burman, 1960) was a partial disappointment. Not that I had so much to expect from a film that I didn’t know before, and that I just got hold of because of Nutan. But it starts pleasantly, with two childhood friends meeting again now that...
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Paromitar ek din: can women stay the forces of lunacy?
I have only recently been made aware of the interest of movies by and with Aparna Sen, having seen Baksha Badal recently (check Sharmi’s take on it), and so here’s a look at a pleasantly intimate story, shot by the Bengali director in 2000. The film’s...
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The Stranger (Agantuk), Satyajit Ray's experiment on humanity
The Stranger (1991) is an atomic experiment. Satyajit Ray imagines what might happen when a normal urban family of three (the target) is bombarded with a high-energy free electron in the shape of a long lost uncle who enters their lives from outer space,...
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A nutty Nutan!
Hello all, It's been some time I wanted to share with you some of the clownish photos of Nutan that I've been collecting, and well, why not the occasion of her death anniversary coming up this Feb 21st? Nutan passed away 22 years ago on that date. I know...
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Nutan's birthday (she'd be an old lady now!)
Hallo all Nutan lovers (Harvey and Bollywooddeewana, especially!) I have been reminded by the above Nutan afficionadoes (like tornadoes?!) that aaj yeh Nutan ki janmadin hai (check Harvey's correction of my hindi in the messages section!!), so I thought:...
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Clear light of day
This is a foray into a field as yet unploughed by me, literary criticism of Indian novels! This summer I’ve read Anita Desai’s Clear light of day: perhaps some of you know the book? It was written in 1980, but tells the story of an Old Delhi family back...
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Woman to woman
Woman to woman is the first book I read by Madhulika Liddle. She’s written more, of which I had been aware, since I read her blog where she had mentioned them, but for some reason I had relented until now. It’s a quickly read collection of 12 short stories,...
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Seema: 3,2,1, Ignition! Nutan's launching pad
Seema (1955, Amiya Chakrabarty ) has been hailed as Nutan Samarth’s cinematographical revelation. In this story of a wronged young girl, she shows a sensitivity and a maturity which are striking for one so young. At only 19, she effortlessly steals the...
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The said and the unsaid: Rajnigandha
First the story for those who don’t remember Basu Chatterji’s Rajnigandha (1974): it’s based on Mannu Bhandari ’s book Yahi Sach Hai. Deepa (Vidya Sinha) and Sanjay (Amol Patekar) are a young, aspiring couple living in Delhi. He’s a jolly, outspoken civil...
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Mr Sampath, the printer of Malgudi
Here’s an addition to my collection of reviews of R.K. Narayan’s novels: Mr Sampath, the printer of Malgudi (first published in 1949). As usual with Narayan, what’s most pleasant is his style, the brisk eventfulness which he masterfully conveys, and how...
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Deepa Mehta's "Fire": the ashes are still warm
There are some films I watch where I have to struggle to find information and reviews. As soon as they are gone from the screens (not to mention movies from the 50s or 60s!) it’s like you are unearthing archaeological artefacts. With Deepa Mahta’s Fire...
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Shahrukh Khan's charm
Okay, here we go : an article on « King » Khan. He’s of course inescapable in today’s Bollywood… perhaps a little too predictable, a little too much himself? But we’ll see him put to good use, in fact very good use, and also often not so good. On the...
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Is Deepa Mehta's "Water" still Bollywood?
In the Bollywood cinema that I know, the Masala type, it seems there are two (main) types of films: the social/historical and the comedy/escapist. Of course, there are films that belong to the two types (and they are some of the best) such as Dil se or...
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Aa ab laut chalen (Let's go back) - Good Bollywood!
I've seen this 1999 melodrama once again, and thought that it was worth a little commentary. Critics have not always appreciated it at its true worth, it seems to me: ( Planet Bollywood link ) and (Rediff on the Net Link) I will say why in a minute. What...
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The red badge of feminine courage (Mirch Masala)
Absolutely excellent. The hubris of petty officers, the crisis and tension coming from lust and gratuitous violence, the horrifying banality of colonialism, the abuse and victimization of women: all these elements combine to create a tragedy which the...
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Preity Zinta is a clever girl
A good way to get to know about Preity Zinta is to read what she says about certain problems facing Indian women and the life of actors here . The reactions of readers are also instructive, because they point to the good and bad sides of the exercise....
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Kajol's future
Seen from away, Kajol is the actress’s dream come true. A real talent, the recognition of the public, her marriage and family with Ajay Devgan, with whom she’s had a little girl, a promising future, what else can you ask for? Well, the answer is, a lot....
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Bollywood music
I realise that this theme « Bollywood music » is as vast as the sea, and that wanting to speak about it in one instalment is a little presumptuous. But I won’t: there’ll be other messages, more detailed and more focussed. What I want to speak about here...
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La couronne et les singes
Bonjour a tous! (c'est vraiment enervqnt d'ecrire avec un clavier indo-je ne sais quoi!... pas d'accents, surtout!) Bon, donc apres un jour assez eprouvant a Delhi, tres chaud, tres bruyant etc., on est parti pour l'"Ulta Pradesh" - corruption amusante...
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Rani's magic
Rani’s got (almost) everything. She’s not yet an internationally known actress, but in terms of Bollywood, I’d bet on her for the title of Best Actress (Amitabh is still the best Actor…) Let’s have a look: Black, Veer-Zaara , Yuva, Chalte chalte , Kabhi...
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The value of life (Main zinda hoon)
Abstract : Admirable and moving, "I am Alive" by Sudhir Mishra is excellently served by inspired actors (Deepti Naval leading the crew), filmed with tact and reserve, and filled with emotion and realism. It tells the story of Beena, a young woman married...
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Katha, window on a small world
The main beauty of this little film, Katha (Sai Paranjpe 1983), which suffers somewhat from clichés that are perhaps enjoyed by a certain type of audience, is the delightful portrayal of the Suburban chawl where a community of friends and neighbours live...
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The Guide (R.K. Narayan)
R.K. Narayan’s novel, The Guide, written in 1958, is recognised as one of the author’s best. (It’s selected within a collection of “1000 books to read during your lifetime” collection which some French publishers were selling over Christmas). It tells...
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Manisha Koirala: the fallen angel?
Like perhaps a number of you, I discovered Manisha Koirala in Dil se , by Mani Ratnam, and was attracted by that irritating mousy character of the terrorised terrorist, who with her distant but intense eyes tries to escape Shahrukh’s advances, but not...
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Parshuramer Kuthar, motherhood and prostitution
This stunning little movie (65 minutes) made in 1989 by Nabyendu Chatterjee, who died recently (2005) tells the story of Laxmi (pronounced Loki), a Bengali village woman whose husband fell from a roof while she was expecting her first baby, and has remained...