logo

I’ve just been reading all the columns at wordplayer.com and if you are an aspiring screenwriter, suggest that you do the same. Invaluable advice, there. What I also did quite recently, was read the screenplay of ‘The Omen’. Remember the movie- Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner? Written by David Seltzer and directed by Richard Donner? It’s a fantastic screenplay which if you get past the first five pages, is unputdownable. If you are the kind who avoids horror movies, I strongly recommend reading the screenplays of the better ones and then seeing them. Reduces the thrill factor but it will get you introduced to the genre at least.

Ok, the reason I am writing this is because while I was reading and admiring the screenplay, I couldn’t but help relate to what Terry Russio had been saying in his columns about what makes a great screenplay and many …

It’s just not fair that one of the better movies of this year has not got the due credit it deserves on this website. I read both of KK’s and Phoenix’s post and can’t help feeling that they would have liked the movie better if they had seen the movie not in each other’s company. Sometimes, when two movie aficionados go for a movie together, you end up overanalyzing and trying to second guess the movie instead of just giving in.

Because that’s what you need to do as a viewer. Especially if you are not a happy go lucky college going teenager in love. If one remains cynical, the movie may appear stupid and artificial but make some allowances and you will enjoy the movie for it’s vibrancy, freshness and devil may care atitude. I mean I loved the first half of Main Hoon Na as well, didn’t you?

How different …

This ever happened to you? You are watching this amazing movie (maybe your third or fourth time) and suddenly you feel that the scene on the screen/TV/monitor shouldn’t be there at all. That the movie would have been even better without it? I am not talking about the usual suspects, the songs in our movies which pop up suddenly from nowhere but scenes with action and dialogue.

I am going to talk about a couple of them. Both of them have 2-3 things in common. Both scenes come right at the end. Both come immediately after a killer poignant scene. And both of them try to install a feel good factor in the movie. Of course this is a personal subjective opinion and many of you might think that I am a depressed spoilsport who hates Christmas but I think the below mentioned movies are just a teeny weensy bit …

i•de•al•ism ( -d -l z m)
n.
1. The act or practice of envisioning things in an ideal form.
2. Pursuit of one’s ideals.

This post is ‘inspired’ from a discussion which ensued from RK’s post on Ardh Satya. As mentioned in the comments there, I have a major problem with the idealistic Anant Velankar’s character in the movie. My question is not ‘Why is he idealistic?’ but rather ‘How come?’, which is the question at the heart of every good characterization. (I just read in the comments that RK has asked me to wait for his post on Velankar’s character for the explanation but since I have written this post already, RK sir, please excuse)

The motivation of the main character is the most important part in any story. How is a sub-inspector in a corrupt criminal system honest and idealistic? I am not a nitpicker of …

The Tamil Nadu Government wants to build a storage dam at the Hogenakkal waterfall at the Karnataka Tamil Nadu border. Given the tenuous relationship between the two states on the Cauvery issue, it is no surprise that this one was also doomed to litigation and controversy. The TN CM makes a statement in favor of the project and a political party in Karnataka promptly escalates the issue. Tamil movies and television channels reportedly get banned and business suffers.

Recently Ashutosh Gowarikar’s ‘Jodha Akbar’ got the stick from some groups who agitated and immediately got the movie banned in two states. I mean if you compare the historical inaccuracies in Hollywood movies like the Gladiator, Elizabeth, Braveheart etc., Ashutosh Gowarikar should be given an honorary PhD for his research and not hounded by huge mustachioed people.

We also remember the furor that was created when Aamir Khan chose to speak on the Narmada …

I didn’t even know that there was a film festival coming up in my sleepy little hollow till I read a news article in the Deccan Chronicle Supplement on the 5th about the poor response to the festival. It quoted the promoters lamenting about the lack of funds to promote the event and also the fact that Tollywood biggies were not interested in the event though they make themselves present in such do’s in Mumbai and Goa. I googled for the same and first few results were of the first edition of the festival held last year. When I finally did track down the website www.hiff.co.in , I didn’t get what I wanted – a schedule and timing of the movies to be screened.

So the next day, when it looked like India would safely draw the Sydney test, I along with wifey decided to visit the Prasad’s multiplex …

I know I know. The year is not over yet. We still have some big ticket movies coming up but most of the year is out and it could be a good time to take stock, you know like a dress rehearsal.

So here are my choices for best acting performances in Bollywood this year-till now.

Kareena Kapoor for Jab We Met- Believe me, if someone had told me before I saw this movie that I would be nominating her for his, I would have told them that I would eat my own hat or worse. Thankfully nobody did but I am not ashamed to say that I am very impressed with this lady. Not yet a fan, but definitely very very impressed. Her performance in the first half had me smiling throughout all her scenes. Admitted that she had some very good lines but it was through her acting that she …

Aamir Khan’s Taare Zameen Par is going to release next month and I have great hopes from it. Not every great actor can be a good director and it will be very interesting to see how Aamir handles the difficult subject matter of the movie. Portraying children in Indian movies is always a recipe for disaster. Either our makers make them too childish or too wise. Telling a story of a dyslexic child is even more so. A story which is true both to them as well as pleasing the audience and critics is a mammoth task. The music’s great though and knowing Aamir, he will definitely stretch himself out of his comfort zone as an actor so there are some things which are already going for the movie.

But this post is more about all those movies which featured kids. Here is my recollection of a few in no particular …

Movie making is not easy, man. Making the PFCOne movie is a big lesson to many armchair critics here including me who wax eloquently on where a movie worked, where it didn’t, blah blah blah…I made a couple of movies which are now listed among the entries. It was my first time that I ever attempted making a movie of any kind (excluding random home movies) and it was great fun.

Writing the script is the easy part. That is, once you have the idea or the inspiration for it. Otherwise it’s tough as hell. And writing a script is not something that you can will yourself to do, especially for me, even if it had to last only a minute. If it doesn’t come to you, you can’t help it. Agree?

But how does one write for a minute? I wrote a page of stuff and then tried to imagine all …

Recently in an interview, John Abraham was quoted as saying that ‘No Smoking’ will start a new genre in Bollywood. This quote was bandied around and even a reviewer accepted the fact except to also add that it will probably remain the only movie in that genre.

Anyway, that got me thinking about what is required to start a new genre. I think it’s pretty simple. Either the movie should be a blockbuster or win major critical acclaim, otherwise why would people want to tread a relatively new path?

And since we at PFC love to put up lists, here’s my feeble attempt at listing down those movies which started a new genre in Bollywood.

Sholay- The big multi-star cast Bollywood Action movie. The late seventies and early eighties definitely followed this movie’s lead, don’t you think?

Zanzeer- The ‘angry young man’ genre. The male lead could now be intense without being jilted …