Raavan: initial analysis after first viewing

Finally, seventeen years after he made Thiruda Thiruda, Mani Ratnam makes a bad film. Raavan, like TT, isn't bad in terms of technique, theme and intention; but it's absolutely bad in terms of clarity in expression and entertainment. Also, the film gets real bad in terms of meeting expectations (w.r.t. a genre named 'Mani Ratnam').

The two main aspects of the film are: Raavan falling in love with Sita and Rama banishing Sita for 'greater good' (climax). Former happens too early in the movie, when Aishwarya's character opposes Abhishek's attempt to kill her, by jumping off the cliff. The Behne De sequence is exquisitely shot, esp. the part where Aishwarya is represented like a tender leaf falling off a tree branch (or is the representation that of a tiny dew drop sliding down off a leaf?). And Abhishek's character has no character curve in the whole film thence. And that's the foremost reason for the film to look and sound boring: lack of change in the protagonist's character.

The latter aspect goes for a severe beating as the 'greater good' wasn't established; I think the writers wanted Rama's decision to be unreasonably cruel, but it fails to work. Instead it seems that they stuck to the inevitable fact of Raavan dying in the end. Bad dialogue (Vijay Krishna Acharya) and incompetent acting (Abhishek and Aishwarya) confuses the audience during the climax.

In the film school, the important aspect we were taught was: don't edit your film in the scripting stage. This film, I suspect, fails to obey that basic film school rule while writing. And to cover that up, the editing stages have damaged the elaborately and beautifully shot sequences in the film. The editing has gone for an over-kill. The slickness worked for Yuva, as the execution there was different. But in Raavan, the cuts seemed to break the beautiful flow of the greatly cinematographed sequences (Santosh Sivan).

It's a huge disappointment that such great effort shown in cinematography and action sequences (the pre-climax action scene is one of the best in Indian cinema) have been put down by the writing and direction departments, esp when these are headed by a master story-teller like Mani Ratnam.

Prasthanam: Hats Off to Mr. Deva Katta

"A Solution may not be the end of a Problem; but the sole purpose of a Problem is always Solving." I do not know if this line or it's essence is a part of any of the numerous foretold philosophies or books; but this is exactly my understanding on the narrative used by Mr. Deva Katta in his latest venture, 'Prasthanam'. By choosing the 'first-understand-the-problem' mode of narration over the 'drive-to-the-solution-quickly' mode of narration, he put himself among those film-makers who have the patience to explain to the audience, than just impress them. No gimmicks, no tactics; this film is a fine example of pure, sensible story-telling.

At a story level, 'Prasthanam' does hold the basic Good Vs Bad conflict. Yet, I am amazed at how the film does not dwell into the cliched 'good kills bad' route. Thanks to the director, it effectively shows how the Bad loses and the Good triumphs. The narrative keeps the internal as well as external conflicts alive throughout the film. And as it approaches the Final Act, the drama poses enough intensity, enabling a pronounced impact during the last reels. "He, is a man, who has ego. He, is a strong man, who can control it. " Again, I do not know if this line exists in any foretold philosophy; but as much as I could understand, that's the summary of the story.

Flawless performances by all the actors (Sai Kumar, Sarvanand, Sundeep) and their effective rendition of well-written dialogues make this film entertaining. Technically, this film can boast of one of the best sound design in the Telugu cinema. Cinematography is top-notch, while the editing is brilliant. In one scene, after the character Chinna is killed at night, there is a perfect snap-cut to a morning shot. The impact of cut was simply awesome. And this night-to-day transition is used on each antagonist's death; even the climax. All kudos to the director and editor to use nature's phenomenon in the narrative.

The last serious drama in Telugu cinema that I found as effective was Sukumar's 'Jagadam'. As an ardent film admirer, I wish this film gets a chance to be shown with English subtitles at International film festivals. I feel, this film has enough potential to create a good image about Telugu cinema in the International film circuit; which in the long run, may even open bigger markets for Telugu cinema.

Random Thoughts: Ignoring Expectations...

I remember the first time I said to anyone about my film-making aspirations, people were talking to me about my prospects of walking the Oscar carpets or comparing my dreams with those of the famous folks in cinema. And with a shameless foolishness, I was pumped up to walk the red carpets and stand with stalwarts. It was later after I came back to senses that I understood: what I need to fight against isn’t just restricted to the opposing waves of the existing ego-centric industry. Why exactly do people expect me to become famous?

Even if I told them that I want to become a scientist, they may relate my dream to that of APJ Kalaam (in his growing years)!!!! Because how many scientist names are common people exposed to? However, whatever reasons may fall behind people expecting me to be famous in the pursuit to my dreams, the question always lies with me -- the dreamer. Do I want to become famous or self-satisfying? Or are they related?

In most cases, I think they are related. We have become so much dependent on other’s feedback to our work/life-style, that satisfaction bears no value without public recognition. Is there a way to escape this? Can I fall in those few cases, where self-satisfaction and public recognition are separated? I think I need to try that out. It’s hard; but I need to mould my mind to that level. Can I? Probably, I need to fight against a lot of things within me, to ignore the expectation of becoming famous or the yearning for public acknowledgement.

Only then, I can truly justify the big decision I am taking in my life. There is no point in expecting the same things that I do, working as typical software engineer. If it is still the same shit about getting appreciation from people around or the expectation that your colleagues/relatives will feel proud of you when knowing about your success, the life I will lose in trying make that success will bear no lasting value to me. Lasting satisfaction is always personal; something which I denied myself my whole life. The mental tuning that happened for 27 years of my life should be un-tuned now. I cannot let social parameters affect the selfish satisfaction that I owe to myself.

Ye Maaya Chesave: short review

Though Gautham Menon's story and screenplay fail to impress, the music and cinematography are so refreshing in this movie that one gets nostalgic about some good old love stories. The romantic feel that oozes out of the perfect blend of music and visuals has become rare these days. Kudos to Rahman and Manoj Paramahamsa!

And though Naga Chaitanya fails to sink into the character, the new heroine Samantha is the scene-stealer. She looks good, emotes well and balances her newness to the film industry with her maturity in portraying the character. Sincerely wishing to see her be more a part of good cinema than going the glamor-only way which most talented actresses in recent times dwelled.

Good to watch with low expectations!!

MNIK: Exploration of Common-Sense

They all maintain silence grieving for those who died in the 9/11 disaster. And amidst the silence, Rizvan begins to whisper Islamic phrases to himself. And it causes commotion among the people surrounding, much to the embarrassment and apprehension of his Hindu wife.

As we were watching this scene in the film, a friend sitting next to me, suddenly whispered: “This is over-the-top, man! He (Rizvan) lacks common-sense.” Though I could not argue back at him, as I, at that point of time, could not arrange my thoughts in a proper order, I must confess now that, had my friend not made that comment, I would have never realized the core idea of this film.

Let me start with common-sense. Over the years, the parameters or the content of common-sense has changed so much that, we began to consider it as something that our little brain should apply so as to save us from social discomfort and embarrassment (the worst and bitter fears plagued across mankind) and blend us into the inconspicuous masses; even if it is at the cost of losing our own identity.

Though, I have been practicing nihilism for some years now (more for my convenience than its doctrine), I have known several people to whom religion is their identity. Wearing traditional dress, daily prayers, working ethically and living amicably are their way of life. In the film, the character of Rizvan is a religious man and chants holy phrases as his expression of grievance, or sadness, or fear. But when such an act invokes a feeling of lacking common-sense from the outsider perspective, I am amazed on realizing how far our definition of common-sense has moved from the basic importance of respecting other’s identity.

We began to hide the basic instincts of our identity in the engulfment of socially acceptable subtleness. We pride our capability to hide; and either mock at or look down upon those who can’t or do not chose to hide. And in the modern world, where being fashionable has become the norm of life, following religious practices and traditional values has become very uncharacteristic. Even if people chose to follow, most of them do so within closed walls or places where they can hide themselves among others. A very few remain unfazed and do not hide their religious and social identity.

Karan Johar’s latest film My Name is Khan keeps the modern definition of common-sense intact; and so the protagonist is characterized with autism. A normal-man characterization wouldn’t look plausible to make him be open about his religious identity, especially when the religion is Islam and the times are post-9/11. The compulsive instincts of autistic behavior are effectively utilized to make the character of Rizvan Khan be unabashed about his religious identity. And that’s the whole central idea of the film: The basic Right for any human to live his life without hiding his identity; be it religion, sex, creed, occupation, and even Common-sense.

“namaaz, jagah aur logon se nahin… neeyath se kee jaati hai.” – Rizvan Khan

My Name is Khan: Noor-e-Shahrukh Khan

It's an important soft message kind of story. And given the fact that, soft messages do not have much audience, I don't expect this film to do great at the box-office. And most of all, it's very far from being an entertainer; no songs and dances or comedy tracks. Also, it has enough flaws along the flow of the movie, thanks to the notorious Shibani Bhatija of Fanaa and Kidnap fame. After the initial hype owing to SRK's craze and controversies around the film, it may end up being just a profit-earner to the makers.

And if there anything that's worth talking about the film beyond it's good theme, it's about two people. Let me start with Deepa Bhatia. If not for her brilliant job at the editing table, the film would have moved at snail-pace, given Karan's over-indulgence in scene execution. It was her deftness that made up for the lapses in Karan's direction and Shibani's screenplay (though a few dialogues were touching); but only in the first half. But Deepa couldn't do much to save the dreadfully written second half. The only respite in the awful second half is: Shahrukh Khan.

Be it first half or second half, he doesn't discriminate. He doesn't care whether it's a bad scene or a good dialogue. He simply does what he is supposed to do: act good. And his performance works for everyone. Even if a person is hating the stupidity in a certain scene, what keeps them glued to the screen is SRK's histrionics. This would shine as his best performance probably for a few more years in future. Noor-e-Shahrukh Khan!!!!

Rann: Bhandarkar wine in Varma bottle

I sincerely apologize for my attempt to sensationalize the title of this write-up. But, more sincerely, as I was watching this film, I could not ignore thick shades of Madhur Bhandarkar's 'Corporate' and RGV's 'Sarkar Raj'. To cut the crap, the film is entertaining enough for a single watch (when aired on TV). Those interested in the crap, can read further.

Every story has a protagonist, who is posed with a challenge and ends up in a conflict; later the conflict reaches a threshold when the protagonist takes action and finds a solution. All the three elements, protagonist, conflict and the solution, decide the flavor of the story. There are audience who wouldn't mind the solution part being idealistic, because idealism carries entertainment; but there are audience, who wouldn't appreciate an ideal solution, especially when the conflict part is utmost real. And that's where RGV's Rann fails. It has a very realistic conflict; but the culmination is foolish and stupid. All the build-up he gives to the theme and story fizzle out because of the idealistic climax.

One can never stop noticing Amitabh Bachchan uttering 'mera beta' like he did in Sarkar Raj. The flow of tears from his eyes haven't stopped since that film. It's as if Abhishek Bachchan died in that film, just to be re-born as Sudheep in this film; but bloody hell, just to die here again!!! Sudheep, inspite of over-scratching his nose and forehead, impresses with his awesome screen-presence. None of the cast perform badly, but they hardly rise above the mediocre, single-expression characterizations.

The most laughable aspect of this film is the BGM. I sincerely doubt if the re-recording sessions were attended by the director. The tone is similar to that used since Sarkar, it's hard to ignore the carelessness in placing the compositions along the run of the film.

Another aspect, Cinematography, though not laughable, was mis-utilized in the film. The execution gets restless right from the beginning of the film; the camera shakes as if the audience should get drunk while watching the film. The shake would make sense had the usage been restricted to crucial situations, mostly with respect to Sudheep's struggles at various points of the story.

Anyway, just to conclude this crap, the film would seem entertaining to those people who hardly care about the crap I mentioned above. But a sensible climax would have given this film more value.

The Last Minute Struggle!!!

I am just two scenes away from completing my first Telugu feature film screenplay. Or may be three scenes away. Three key scenes that reflect the gist of my story. The fact that I know what happens in those scenes isn't being sufficient for me to draft the scenes. Something is compelling me to think more. Or is it just laziness? No, it isn't!!! I think I am unsure of the weight that the conflict in my story carries.

The conflict is similar to what I am experiencing now while trying to finish the screenplay. The last minute struggle to finish! A guy, who works in US and plans to go back to India by a certain date, struggles to face the decision he made as the date approaches. Somewhere, sacrificing the comfort zone of living in US, feels heavy. In the story, the comfort zone is personified by a girl whom the guy always loved. The girl is adamant about settling in US and not returning back to India. As the date of the his return to India approaches, the girl too falls for him, making it difficult for him to return back. Will he convince her? Or will she be convinced? Or are there other options for each of them?

Just trying to think aloud: will this conflict work as a romantic comedy?

Color Correction: My Name is Khan

/*** I felt while watching the teaser of this film, that KJo just missed a unique opportunity to make India's first commercial black-n-white film post the eastman color era. This film deals with not just one, but two aspects of binary nature: terrorism and autism. The following is just my attempt to see if the color correction to black-and-white would add more meaning to the theme. ***/

Original Teaser

Like watching an old spoilt color TV, we see jaded disturbing frames (with weird colors) of Rizvan Khan's childhood trauma. Rizvan is autistic and he doesn't know what it is about. As much as he is confused about his mental disorder, he is even more confused at the treatment he gets from others around him. He cannot understand 'normal' social behavior. His mother consoles him with an easy-to-understand explanation: people are either good or bad. And as he begins to believe that he is good and how important it is to be so, the frames turn into black-and-white.

Thus begins a black-and-white film about the story of Khan, who lives in San Francisco with his brother and sister-in-law. Khan, as a grown-up, still believes in the binary (good and bad) shades about life. The black hues dominate the frame when he is facing some daily hardship and the whites dominate when he is feeling happy. And one day...... the sun shines brighter and the screen becomes pleasantly bright and sensitively white.......

Mandira walks into his life. A single mother, Mandira, strikes good rapport with Khan. As their relationship builds gradually, we see the white hues dominate all the while in Khan's life. Slowly and subtly, colors (all the seven shades in white light) begin to flood across the screen. And Khan begins to enjoy the beauty of each color. He likes being with Mandira as much as he likes the beautiful colors flashing around him. And the most colorful day of his life is the day he marries Mandira.

As if fate couldn't choose a better time, the twin towers are attacked on 9/11 and the film gets back to black and white mode. Mandira and Khan's relationship breaks and Khan takes on a journey across the country to talk to The President, and get his beloved Mandira and the color back into his life.

/*** Does the color change work? ***/

Pray, or check the Possibilities!!!

It's been a week since the New Year (2010) began. A lot of life has passed. My first public puking experience, got sick, solved a production issue at work, hit the gym, got sick again, spoke to a lot of friends, spoke to my sis after a long time. Lots of life has gone through in one week. But insomnia all throughout the week makes me feel as if I wasted a lot of time (when I wasn't sleeping, I was actually wasting time trying to sleep). But why I am feeling so guilty about wasting time?

I think it isn't guilt; but fear. Not the fear of wasting time. But, Fear of uncertainty. The day of my decision making is getting nearer. I have waited nearly an year for this day. Planned for it. Worked hard to save my job and save some money. And now, it's like butterflies in my tummy. Continuing to save my job and save more money is seeming very easy and comfortable.

I made things hard for myself by unlearning how to pray, a few years ago. If there is anyway I could learn what I unlearned (with respect to praying), I wish I could pray to get some strength to fight this fear and go ahead with my dreams. But when I unlearned, I simultaneously learned how to see the possibilities. So let me do it now.

What am I getting afraid of? To leave a stable job? To leave the comfort zone I am standing on? Probably!!! So let them be the stable and comfortable aspects that I am planning to leave. Isn't there a possibility of setting my foot on something stable and comfortable, when I get into films? There is; but it's a very meek chance. I should be able get a chance to work as an assistant under a good film-maker. Isn't there a possibility to make whatever I put my foot on, to lead me to a stable and comfortable zone? There is. I can try to go through a film course for an year and make my mind get used to the dynamics of the film world. Stability and Comfort are all in the mind. I think a film course would be a great stress reliever and a mind-setter.

But what if I am in a grave situation where I can't do either? Even then, there is a possibility....... Pray. Should I? Or is there any other possibility? Let me think.....