What do u make of this?

Building character sketches is one of the tasks that one has to engage in as a writer on a regular basis. As and when I indulge in the same, I make sure that my characters don’t turn out cardboard like as in complete black or white but rather stay grey as people are in real life. That is what I used to believe until I met this woman whose character brief I shall layout below and leave it onto you to decipher as to what I should make of it-

The said female has compelled her husband to migrate oversees because she looks down upon the poor country she was born into and does not wish to stay here! That also explains why at places wherever possible she claims herself to be a US citizen although she is not! Now before migrating however she got home couple of pet dogs whom she has conveniently left behind to be cared for by her daughter. She has sent her son to Europe for higher studies so that she can move in with him once he is done with his education. In between cribbing about her health -which is hale and hearty -she takes foreign holidays to countries exotic and expensive. However there is no money to put up curtains in the house or knobs on the bathroom doors back home in India where the young daughter resides alone!

As and when the esteemed lady comes down to India which usually is for some paper work and nothing more her daughter is not supposed to leave the house and is supposed to stay at her beck and call 24*7 to get everything from food to water while the mother sits before the computer and monitors her son through web cam, a la Big Boss!!! It goes without saying that the dogs she has so lovingly bought are never taken for a walk, given food or bathed by this large hearted animal loving lady but yes if the dogs do not show affection to her then she does hold the daughter responsible for ‘instigating’ the dogs against her in her absence!

At one point of time I recollect being told that her highness was cribbing endlessly because her husband who was in the middle of work crisis and was on a con call did not look for her when she hid herself behind the sofa!! It made no sense to her that she should not have been playing such quirky games when her husband was going through a crisis at work!

The latest feather to her illustrious hat is that she has secured her daughters facebook password and changed the daughters’ relationship status to single without informing her daughter as the guy has not managed to impress her enough. It does not matter of course that her daughter may be happy with the guy or above all else the daughter should have the right to work out her love life by herself. But alas…

Such is the sketch of the character I simply fail to see any good in. It defies my understanding of the fact that people are not all black or white in real life. Now only if you can help me see another shade in this case, I shall be more than happy.

DAY 6 AT MAMI: and that is it for me! Until Next Year...

My day 6 at MAMI although the second last of the festival was going to be my last/ I had some commitments i could not get out of and thus had to make do with seeing a total of 15 films this time around.

My first film was “TILL THE DAY WE MEET AGAIN”, Directed by Tadashi Imai. This film is about the love of Sujoru and Kieko that blossoms and fetters under the fear of the ongoing war. I had not seen as much Japanese cinema as I could have in this fest and thus picked this one randomly. The film was a simple story of a boy- Sujoru- who is not in as excited by the war as his friends and elder brother. He infact is a more gentle persona who is fond of poetry and peace. He falls in love with Kieko the moment he see’s her for the first time while they are hiding in a bunker during air raids. A couple of more such coincidental meetings later they both get drawn to each other and get lost in their dreams of future fostered by their love for each other. Then the inevitable happens as Sujoru gets drafted and has to go for war...I stayed engaged in the film and liked it.

The next film to watch was going to be a tough to choose task. Out of the five films playing simultaneously at the 5:30 pm I wanted to see four!!! That was however impossible and thus I had to prepare my priority list.

My list was:-

1) “Iti Mrinalini” directed by Aparna Sen starring both herself and her talented daughter Konkana Sen Sharma.

2) “Somewhere” directed by Sofia Coppola, the director of “Lost in Translation” and daughter of the legendary Francis Ford Coppola.

3) “Harud” (Autumn) directed by the Indian actor turned director Aamir Bashir about present day Kashmir, a film that has been talked about extensively in the international Indian media.

4) “South of Border” directed by Oliver Stone. What can one say to introduce Oliver Stone? However being a nonfiction film I had this last on my last.

My plans however went haywire because first the unexpected happened- The Japaneese film that i was sitting in lasted a good twenty minutes longer than what its running time proclaimed in the brochures! And then the expected happened- The queue for both my top two choices from my list had spiralled way beyond any reasonable chance to get to see either of the films. Alas... it had to be Harud.

I was extremely dissapointed to see Harud. Directed by the actor turned director Aamir Bashir the film left me with a headache on account of its pace and pain for the kind of hype it had generated. I do applaud the effort of the team if thats what its all about but otherwise i will not recommend it to anybody. A lot of people will not say this because it would be insensitive or unintelligent to say it out loud but thats the fact. The film did not reveal anything new that has not been hammered in our minds by the news channels and other reports. The camera work was not as outstanding as it is claimed to be. I have seen far better frames than a much less raved about film that i saw in this festival that was directed by Dr. Biju called “On the way Home”. That too was shot in Kashmir.

People were laughing at the wrong places, there were restless shifting and whispers but the film was endured. After the screen i asked a few how they felt about the film. Each one gave me the head bob until i told them what i felt and the next moment i had them crooning in chorus with me!! Sorry to bust the bubble but- NOT RECOMMENDED.

The last film of the day and ‘of the festival for me’ could not have been more apt and beautiful. Directed by Yoshinari Nishikori “Railways”, a film from Japan tells you to “find work that you love”. The two hour ten minute film is the story of Tsutsui Hajme who is a high flying corporate honcho. He has all the luxuries in life but is not very happy and is all the time busy in work with no time for family.

His teenange daughter is unhappy with him and in one of many such gems in the film we have her say that her father never speaks without consulting the watch! Tsutsui has to rush back to his village when his mother who lives alone in the village falls ill. During his stay there he recollects his childhood dream of becoming a train operator/ motorman!! and he thus decides to give up his high flying life and job to pursue his dream at the age of 50!

The jounrey from here on is so magically narrated that i could not help but clap on multiple occasions.

The dialogues are so simple yet so deep, the character are so well matured and well defined that it was an amazing experience. When the ailing mother is told what her son is upto by the nurse, she says, "I dont care what he does as long he love it. As long as he is happy, I am."

I am dying to watch this film again. I hope you’ll watch it too. I forgot to mention the back ground score that elvates every moment bringing a tear to your eyes when necessary and a smile where its apt. Magical. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

“Somewhere” directed by Sofia Coppola- which i missed in the evening- was to be shown again at 10:30 pm and i would have seen it but “Railways” had carried me to another zone which i did not want to get out off. It was a perfect climax to the wonderful and extensive fair of cinema provided by MAMI 2010.

Until Next MAMI...

DAY 5 AT MAMI: The best so far- for me!

Some days are simply better than the others. There is no logic to it and hence there should not be any analysis. Likewise, my Day 5 at MAMI was the best so far. Saw three films back to back and enjoyed each one of them not only from their content, treatment and experience but also because of the fact that I did not encounter any mayhem or chaos before any of the screenings!

The first film of the day was a German film called “Ayla.” directed by debutante director Su Turhan.
The first shot of the film itself blew me away! From behind a curve- comes a girl- running; running hard but in slow motion towards the camera as the camera back tracks. She is on the streets in the middle of the night. The streets are deserted and illuminated but the frame holds a somewhat eerie texture to it. The girls’ hair are left open and are thus flying as we see her gasping and running hard. A mystical Arabic kind of drum rhythm plays in the back ground, rising in tempo gradually until a strand of the girls’ hair begins to merge into the first letter of the title. The letters begin to form as the screen blacks out with only the title reading- “Ayla”. I was hooked. There was a whisper of applause to this effect as the film began.
The film was about this rebellious girl Ayla who is not the coy orthodox girl that every Turkish girl is expected to be. Through her, the film reveals the chauvinistic prejudice that the Turkish males hold towards their females. Her flamboyant and liberal ways have naturally strained her relations with her father. In the film, Ayla falls in love with a Turkish guy- Ayhan- whose sister-Hatice- has run away from her loveless marriage in Turkey and come to Germany along with her daughter. Such an act is unpardonable amongst the Turks and requires the elder brother of the family- i.e. Ahyan, in this case- to kill Hatice for the family’s honor! By the quirk of fate Hatice runs into Ayla to seek refuge and Ayla takes it upon herself to save Hatice even if it means standing against the man she considered her soul mate. Although Ahyan does attempt to convince Ayla that he does not intend to kill his sister, the pressures put on him by his family and a prejudiced narrow minded society allows Ayla to get a glimpse of Ahyan’s murderous instincts! She manages to send Hatice away safely and walks away from Ahyan back into her liberal unorthodox life.

The second film of the day was again with a female protagonist. This one was “Eine Familie” meaning “A Family”. This film from Denmark was directed by a female director Perniile Fischer Christensen. A very gripping drama about the conflict between your bonds and your dreams. Ditte is all gung ho and excited about moving to New York as she has got a job offer she has been dreaming about. Her boy friend is very happy for her and is supportive of her decision to move. He thus agrees to abort their child for the sake of Ditte’s career. Now, Ditte comes from a family of Bakers. Generations after Generations of her family have run the bakery set up by her great-great grandfather. The bakery has now become a very prestigious and sanctimonious enterprise for the family. Ditte’s father is detected with cerebral tumors and her shifting to New York means the end of the Bakery as she does not have any brothers eligible to take care of the Bakery!! She also does not wish to leave her ailing father although there are other people to take care of him. Her father too expresses his desire by asking her to stay back. Ditte is thus torn apart between her desire to chase her dreams and her desire to fulfill her father’s dream of her taking over the Bakery. The boy friend of course feels cheated to see Ditte not giving a thought at aborting their baby but now single handedly taking the decision to not move to New York.
The beauty of the film was how none of the characters can be labeled wrong in their own ways. Each one seems justified in asking for what they were and thus the conflict only seems more poignant and engaging.

The last film of the day was from Croatia-Serbia-Slovenia. Directed by Rajko Grlic “Neka Ostane Medju Nama” meaning “Just between us” can be best described in three words recently made popular by Dibakar Banerjee- Love, Sex and Dhokha. Although nothing like banerjee’s film Just Between Us has these emotions to the fullest. There was all three of it woven into one closely knit story in proportionate measures. Its quiet a task really, to capture the tongue in cheek flavor of this film. There are four primary characters: Nikola and his wife, Nikola’s brother and his wife. The sexual faux paus and history between them along with the present day developments resulting out of the fact that both Nikola and his brother have taken to their father’s way of sleeping around with women unfolds the candid tale of this film. I can only recommend you to watch it for any more of my attempt at sharing the film’s experience will either make it a fruit salad gone wrong or a dish without salt.

Until Day 6 then….

DAY 3 AND 4 AT MAMI

Day 3 was a day off for me! It was a Sunday and I had commitments at home to keep. However I was keen to watch the ‘25 short films’ that were part of the ‘Dimensions Mumbai’ theme but I was informed by friends who were at the venue that the crowd was thick and large which meant the usual chaos and I was not up for it.

The Spanish film ‘Beautiful’ was to be re-screened at night 10:30 pm in two screens simultaneously but by then I had given up any intentions I might have had to visit the festival.

Day 4 started for me at 3:45… I was late and thus rushed into the South Korean movie “Mother is a whore” Directed by Lee Sang Woo. The reason I rushed into this movie was because by the time I reached the venue all other films were 15 minutes into their running time and i hate to even miss the national anthem!! I had not read the synopsis and hoped it would not be literally what the title suggested but in fact would be a depiction of a dominant or difficult character/ personality of a mother and the influence of such a character on the family! Something like James Brooks’ “Terms of Endearment”- a superb film.

“Mother is a whore” like most of the Korean films I have seen this time was a mix of various issues. Sang Woo- the director himself- plays a 38 year old looser who is a pimp for his mother who is a whore. Contrary to what the society things Sang Woo does not solicit his mother for his individual monetary interests but because it is the mother who insists on doing so. The father thus has left them and remarried a younger woman who has a son and daughter from her previous marriage. There is friction here between the father and son i.e Woo's character, also between the father and his present step daughter. The father also rapes his step son causing him to withdraw into his room never to come out. As I said there are these multiple issues all connected at some level and largely speaking of the break down that’s occurring in the lives of all the characters. The name of the film truly makes no justice to the conflicts that it offers or tries to address. It in fact takes away the focus unnecessarily.

The second film I saw was “Khandar” Directed by our very own Mrinal Sen starring a delectable milieu of Naseerudin Shah, Pankaj Kapoor, Annu Kapoor and Shabana Azmi. Three friends’ visits the ruins of what was once a flourishing ancestral property of one of them- Pankaj Kapoor. The only inhabitants of these ruins now are an old, blind, paralyzed mother and her beautiful unmarried daughter- Azmi. The man with whom her marriage was fixed many years ago has married of and lives in the city. The sick mother however does not know this and still believes that he shall return to wed her daughter. Telling her the truth would surely cause great harm to her psyche. The conflict begins when one of the three friends- Naseerudin Shah- is mistaken by the blind mother to be the man chosen for her daughter. She cannot be told the truth while Shah cannot marry Azmi having come on a three day weekend trip. The tension between them is beautifully captured amidst the ruins of their surroundings. The end however is realistic as Shah returns to the city leaving behind Azmi who becomes a mere subject of the photographs that he has taken. Although initially the aging walls and broken structures make us cringe for the ruins that they are, by the end of the film it is the life of Azmi’s character that seems much more ruinous than the degrading property.

The third and last film of the day was “Everything must go" a film from USA directed by debutant director Dan Rush. This one was a very typical Star Movies/ HBO kind of flick. I wanted to see something lighter and also Chandan Cinema where it was playing being spacious and huge, I headed there. Nick Halsey (Will Ferrell) has a drinking problem ‘coz of which he loses his job. He comes home to find all his belongings on his lawn as his wife has locked the house, changed the locks and left him! There on begins his journey to deal with the loose ends in his life. It’s a film to watch if you intend to have a lazy afternoon and its playing on TV anyways. There is nothing spectacular in the film but there is nothing much annoying either. I love Will Ferrell as an actor and he holds the film well. However there are plenty of loopholes in the screenplay making a critical mind raise lot of questions... over look it to get through the film.

And Now for Day 5….

THE CHAOS AND MAYHEM AT MAMI 2010, PVR JUHU.

Unfortunately there has been unwanted chaos and mayhem at PVR, Juhu during the Mumbai Film Festival 2010. For the last two days during the screening of some films there have been disgruntled crowds screaming, yelling, pushing and feeling cheated. The chaos has been hurting the cinema lovers not just because of missing out certain screenings but largely because of the attitude with which it has been dealt.

There are three sets of people handling the festival:

1) The PVR management

2) The Festival Organizers headed by the Director Mr. Srinivasan Narayanan and,

3) The on ground Volunteers.

Now, Set 1 is paranoid about taking care of ‘PVR the multiplex’ and have no idea what dealing with a festival crowd requires and no sensitivity to adapt to the new experience they have exposed themselves to. They are thus snobbishly brandishing their authority where none is required!

Set 3 are the young gun volunteers with rolled up sleeves and pumped up chests running all over the place, sometimes even making hysterical ‘commando’ gestures trying to ‘drive’ an event that could easily run by itself. They seem to be getting a kick out of closing the doors and announcing that a screen is full not to mention signaling ‘roll’ to the projection room to indicate starting of the film!!! Thus seating in the ails to watch a film is a thought that’s as alien to them as a Pedro Almodovar movie is to the auto guy! No one is guiding them and their pumped up energy is only driving them insane and more flustered.

The Set 2- Mr. Narayanan and his core team- which should actually be in the forefront is the most dormant of the lot making every individual who has purchased the festival pass feel cheated and let down.

After having discussed the cause of this issue with various people I finally got the answer when the festival director very simply mentioned it to the group surrounding him. Apparently, PVR management has not taken permission from the fire department to allow people to sit on the stairs, in the ails! THAT’S IT! Because of this they have to shut the doors before the screening begins to avoid anybody from sitting on the stairs and with this act…the war begins…

There are these film lovers enthusiastically or apprehensively running in to catch that film they have been curious to see only to be pushed behind by burly men in body hugging black Tee’s addressed by all the organizers as “BOUNCERS”! That sets the tone, doesn’t it?

However now although on couple of occasions people were allowed to sit in the ails after mass protests and cumulative chants of “Stop the film”, “Let us in”; the problem still persists because of the ‘control freaks’ that the PVR management and the Volunteers are continuing to be. Last evening I went hoarse trying to explain to a group of 4 cool dude Volunteers that instead of screaming at people that the Audi is full why not let the doors open and let people judge it for themselves? That’s what they did last year at Fun Republic where there was not a speck of confusion and definitely not such bad weather! Finally one of the volunteers said, “But sir, we are told to do so.” I kept quiet!

To add to the chaos, now, the cine lovers are loosing their mind and clouding their judgment. While some blame the organizers for closing the doors, some blame the crowds who don’t vacate the theaters. By the quirk of fate in the last 2 days I have been at both sides of the fence…On Day 1 I was inside the Audi when all of us inside protested for the sake of people stranded outside the Audi despite there being ample space in the Audi and on Day 2 I was amidst the crowd that was being shut out of the hall despite standing in the queue for an hour!

I am thus equipped to conclude that if PVR could have got the requisite permission to allow people to sit in the ails they would not have been required to exercise force through ‘Bouncers’ and ‘Cops’ spoiling thus the entire spirit of what intends to be a celebration of cinema from around the world meaning acceptance of varied views and interpretations.

I can only hope that the young Volunteers stop playing ‘authority’ where there is need for none, I hope the PVR management stops looking at festival goers as gate crashers just because they don’t rip a ticket before every show, I hope the festival director and his team become far more active than it presently is and I hope I can see a few more films in peace and a lot less ‘Bouncers’!

MAMI: DAY 2:- 2 movies and a lot of chaos!!

Starting out for the venue at PVR, Juhu on day 2 I had a nagging feeling that the chaos and confusion that prevailed last evening during the screening of Social Network was going to get worse. I hated myself for being skeptical and tried to be positive but there was something that I had seen in the body language of the organizers namely the young volunteers and the PVR staff that made all efforts at optimism seem weak and wasted! All the same I had to watch movies and thus started out.

At the venue the air seemed thick. I was keenly observing the people managing the event. They had no clue what a film festival is. To the young guns- with rolled sleeves and long sleeved Tee’s under the festival half sleeve Tee’s- it was an extension of their college festival. They were running in all directions without any purpose and seemed to play the ‘discipline-in-charges’ to a lame result. All uncalled for. Another interesting development was the increase in the number of burly men in body hugging black Tee’s. The young volunteers including some managerial staff were later seen ordering for more of these men- in their exact words- “Get the Bouncers!”, “Pachaas bouncers ko bhejo!” Phew…this was nothing like a film festival!

I had reached at 2:30 pm and thus planned to catch three films there on. The first one was “Bi, Dung So!” meaning “Don’t be afraid, Bi!” It was a film from Vietnam-France- Germany, this combination was the first thing that held my attention. Second was the synopsis, Directed by Phan Fnag Di it claimed to be a film that that was about the innocence of the six year old 'Bi' who played in an ice factory. It talked about various conflicts like Bi’s aunt having an affair with a teenager, Bi’s father taking up to alcohol and later giving away all the 'water' in the house to the masseuse to whom he is infatuated and this at a time when the heat is soaring extremely. There seemed to be a metaphor in- ‘Ice’ which was being used by Bi’s ailing grandfather to soothe his burning stomach while Bi's aunt used it to satiate her sexual desires!

Now all this seemed overwhelming and presented a possibility of a tight and eventful screenplay. Alas, it was not to be. I don’t judge world cinema by its pace as its far slower than the one I am used to but apart from being excruciatingly slow, this film I felt was dealing with far too much than it could do justice to. The screenplay seemed distorted and very little could be justified. In short, “not recommended”.

The pics below will give you a gist of the chaos at the festival that was to hit me in my face as I headed to watch my second film of the day...

The reason for this chaos I’ll state in my next post which I’ll write immediately after this for there is much to say on that front. However, it was handled by the PVR staff and organizers in an extremely shabby and shameful manner. PVR in the last two days has been an acronym for Panic Vs Rationality wherein Panic has clearly won. To add to the misery created by the immaturity of the organizers I find it pitiful to see the young volunteers who are eager for sure but completely ignorant about what a film festival is which results in mayhem. As a result I could not watch the film and by the time could make my way out of the lobby all other films were half way through their journey.

Thus the last film of the day was my second film namely “Retratos En Un Mar De Mentiras” meaning “Portraits in the Sea of Lies”, Directed by Carlos Gaviria, I loved this film from Columbia. It told a story of a submissive girl, Marina, who was yet to recover from having lost her family when she was child during a military siege. The film did justice to not only the struggles of its characters but also established the atmosphere of strife and fear that prevails in Columbia which is for the longest time embroiled in a social and political battle leading to maximum casualties. The journey was very simply and beautifully captured making you feel that you were traveling across the tense country with the characters. Highly recommended for sure.

Such was Day 2… and now on to Day 3 but before that a report on the chaos and mayhem at the festival that can be avoided but from the look of things, seems to be becoming pattern for this year’s MAMI.

MAMI- DAY 1: FOUR FILMS AND 1 RADA!!!

The Mumbai International Film Festival has begun. The first day is always exciting as as the eye, ears and mind are yet to be subjected to the onslaught of world cinema and are thus comparatively fresh and less exploited as they would soon be!

Unlike last time when I was prepared with what films to watch and why, this time I had just one criteria- Nationality! I was to watch films that I would not get to see easily, meaning East European, South American and some other random ones that shall fit in my schedule! :P

The last criteria of the above led me to the first film of the day-“Lumekuninganna meaning- “Snow Queen”, a film from Estonia!- Directed by Marko Raat... now that’s world cinema for you and keeping with its reputation the film had abundant pauses, silences and empty frames. It was the story of a middle aged woman suffering from cancer who surrounds herself with snow and in between this bizarre act of hers there is a young boy who is infatuated by her and clings on to her in his assumption of love and desire for sex.

The second film was from the country whose cinema, lifestyle and depiction I simply adore- Iran. The film named: “Chiz- Haie Hast Keh Nemidani” meaning –“There are things you don’t know” directed by Fardin Saheb Zamani. A story of a reclusive taxi driver who lives a monotonous life. It was amusing to see the manner in which the passengers’ conversations and behaviour seemed amusing from his point of view. I will definitely be more conscious in a cab or auto the next time!

Also his own personal relationships and their effect on him was very fluidly and pleasantly depicted.

The third film was an Indian- Malayalee film called “Veettliekkulla” meaning- “The Way Home”. The director along with some key HOD’s and the lead actor of the film were present to introduce the film which was about a doctor whose wife and son get killed in a terrorist attack in Delhi. By a quirk of fate the doctor ends up embarking on a journey to reunite a 5 year old boy with his father and that father is none other then the-Leader of the Indian Jihadi movement- the man who plotted the terror attacks in which the doctor lost his family!!! I was blown away by the framing i.e. shot taking of the film. Right from the opening frame I was falling in love with the frames. The film however got timid and too convenient in patches leaving a not so awe inspiring after taste but it was a brave effort that is pulled of decently.

The last film of the day was when the Rada happened. Chaos, Yelling, Tempers soaring and stalling the films screening preceded this film from USA - “The Social Network” directed by David Fincher about the man, the con and law suits behind the supremely addictive and popular website Facebook.

This film was not on my list as it is to release in India within a couple of months and can also be easily acquired. However since it was in the same screen where I had just finished watching my third film, I stayed put. What followed was some extremely shoddy display of organization by the festival organisers. Despite there being space in the cinema hall hundreds of people were locked out of the hall. Top three rows were reserved for Minisha Lamba and her gang of friends! Amidst cries of protests and arguments from of us seated in to let in the crowd locked outside, the national anthem was played and the film began.

This arrogance however only strengthened our resolve.

All of us began chanting in one voice to stop the film and let those stranded outside to be allowed in so that they can fill in the empty spaces. Finally after 45 minutes of protests the organisers opened the gates to the cinema lovers and the screening began again from the beginning and went on as freely and seamlessly as it should at a film festival! The film was very good and the joy of having managed to put the arrogant and clueless organisers in their rightful place only made the experience more sweeter.

Now for day 2ººº tomorrowººº