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Top articles
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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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Saudagar (1973): marriage is a business, alas!
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,...
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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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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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Kapurush (The coward), or: women's own right to happiness
Do you have an hour to spare? 74 minutes to be precise? WATCH THIS NOW . And then come back to read. « This » is Satyajit Ray’s little marvel called Kapurush (1965, The Coward), a marvel of economy and inspiration. The story begins at night (it ends also...
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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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Yeh raate, yeh mausam
Here’s my belated commentary of Ravi’s song Yeh Raate yeh mausam in Dilli ka thug sung by Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhonsle, lyrics by Majrooh Sultanpuri (I had promised it to Suja! Cf. here ). Below you'll find the video, the lyrics and their translation....
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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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The last Lear: one day, the King will die
Even today, I suppose all India is bracing itself, preparing itself and half-hoping that it will not come that soon, not just yet: he might still live twenty more years, mightn’t he? Our king is such an indomitable man, why fear? But then we’re all, all...
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Mahapurush, or religious profiteering
After having watched Kapurush (see previous instalment), I was strongly urged to see Mahapurush, Satyajit Ray’s twin production in the tandem that came out in 1965. The theme of the manipulative bigot is a famous one in French culture (see for example...
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Don (2006), high flying stuff
Just watched Don (2006 one), by Farhan Akhtar, since it was shown on French TV last Thursday. I knew from filmiholic that « bilkul bindaas hai », and laughed at Maja ’s swooning and gushing over Arjun Rampal’s stubble. But I hadn’t given it much more...
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A Fine Balance
At the bottom of page 511 [1] of Rohinton Mistry’s novel “A Fine Balance”, one can read the sentence: “the lives of the poor are rich with symbols”. One might just as well say: the book of the poor, not forgetting the fact that the book is indeed about...
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Bobby: Raj Kapoor lapsing into... (what?)
(Could this be this what happened to the great RK???) For Raj Kapoor the director, Bobby appeared in 1973 between Mera naam joker (1972) and Satyam shivam sundaram (1978) and so I was rather interested to have a look at it in order to bridge that gap....
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Rishte Naate (1965), a quiet family drama
Rishte Naate (family relationships) is a 1965 Gopalakrishnan movie, with Raj Kumar, Nutan, Nazir Hussain, Jamuna and Ameeta as main actors. It does seem like I’m exhausting my reserves of Nutan movies, because while this film has more than a few qualities,...
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Umrao Jaan: does beauty lead to sorrow?
Umrao Jaan (Muzzafar Ali, 1981) belongs to the genre of tragedies which describe the destiny of a doomed character in a beautifully told narrative such as will bring out the pity and sorrow necessary for spectators to be cleansed of their own sins. And...
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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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Kondura, religious power is stronger than men
Shyam Benegal generally explores the forces which can endanger or wreak human communities, and what happens to individuals in the process. The result is often pitiless. Hopes are crushed, and ties bruised. Instincts are hypocritically presented as virtues...
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Agra
Bonjour tout le monde, Journée à Agra aujourd'hui, très beau temps, voyage en car un peu long pour y arriver, mais les étudiants en mode "Waouh", à la fois bien sûr pour la Merveille du monde qu'est le Taj Mahal, mais aussi pour les rues d'Agra, pleines...
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Premier jour... difficile!
Bonjour à tous, Un premier jour assez difficile car après une longue attente du groupe principal à l'aéroport (4h), nous sommes allés à l'hôtel qui avait été réservé depuis la France, mais apparemment sans avoir eu accès aux Commentaires des utilisateurs!...
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Indian cinema on stamps
Hi, sorry to have been away so long, too many things in the going. This one took me some time assembling and researching, but was great fun! When I was a boy, my brother François and I used to collect stamps, mostly French ones of course, and I still...
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A film auditioning in 1951
Thanks to Ashok I have been fortunate to discover the treasure trove of these Old Indian photos , where much more than what will be discussed here is to be found: it’s a real Ali Baba’s Cave. But going through some of its riches, I stopped at these pics...
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Midnight's children
Famous, witty, challenging… and brilliant in the way some works of genius are, but Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie pleases and displeases at the same time. It certainly strikes the reader as a fascinating work of art, technically and stylistically;...
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Back to India!
Hello to all, I'm once again using this blog to serve as a travelog - with some students of my engineering school (INSA Rouen), we are soon to fly to India on a study trip whose programme has been prepared by them (check here - don't know if you can access...
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Bimal Roy's Devdas: a burning tragedy
Contrary to what many people think, love isn’t a simple passion. First many things, such as the family, the social situation, the history of the two lovers, etc. combine to create the particular context of the relationship, but also in itself love challenges...
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Deception: how Tagore's wife had changed him
Rabindranath Tagore Deception 1918 From: Selected poems, translated by William Radice, Penguin classics, 1918 Click on the pictures to read the poem How much of this poem is autobiographical I cannot know, but in 1902 Tagore’s wife died young, at 25 after...