Frozen with the Pfc junta @ 10.30 on 8th May
Among all the brouhaha of the multiplex-producers standoff a small film released yesterday, Frozen, winner of 18 international awards and made by our very own Shivajee Chandrabhushan. How could Pfc not watch it together?
So 10.30 show at Andheri we all landed up, full of anticipation. Mind you some of us had already seen the film but if we, the so-called upholder’s of indie cinema, don’t encourage film-makers with a different voice then who will? Especially one of our own…
My anticipation was of a different kind. I usually take festival appreciation with a pinch of salt. I didn’t like Hazaaron, Three Monkeys didn’t speak to me and so on. My interest was in the title, Danny and the black and white cinematography. ‘Frozen’ evokes certain mindscapes that play with the idea of existence, living, sustenance, movement and the quick-silver nature of reality. I am a little weak on all these themes. Danny, of course, apart from his dashing good looks has always been a favourite since he sang ‘Sun sun kasam se’ as a lean, lanky youngster to a plump, cute Farida Jalal in (insert movie name) and not for his looks alone. His acting prowess, range and power can be sampled in every film, however weak the role or the theme. Also, the fact that a few years back I’d read an article where he declared he was bored and disillusioned with the roles he was being offered and didn’t even watch the films he acted in anymore. For a man who said that, to have acted in a seemingly nondescript film, was enough to perk my interest.
And then the black and white theme. Colours evoke many things in us. So does the lack of it. In times when splashing colours is a disposable idea not while filming alone but at the post-production stage as well., taking a black and white route is brave. It captures the imagination like nothing can. But mind you, I am saying this because I have seen the film and it DOES capture the imagination like no other.
The cinematography is like a series of b n w stills that a re beautiful in their own right at the same time whimsical in their contribution to the narrative. It indeed was a visual delight. And it spoke of the barrenness, dual dimensions of the lives of the central protagonists crisply. In fact, the more the play of light and shade (done to brilliant effect), the more simple the film remained. Riot of colours or the pristine contrasts of clear blue against mountain brown would’ve been distracting. But the most amazing part of the way light has been used is that it does not overshadow the narrative by forcing a tone to the voice. It simply aids it. Where there has to be bright sunlight, it simply is. Where shades, shades. No indulgence or communicating more than the story demands.
The narrative in itself was engaging, despite its non-linearity. Non-linear narratives might be all path-breaking but they are difficult to do with impact. The correct points of the various threads joining should not leave the audience confused. On the other hand, there shouldn’t be too many lose threads to miff the concentration of the audience. The non-linearity slips in quietly in the end while the story is in wrap up. And compliments the narrative all the more with its twist of surreality robbing the audience of every foothold it had given from the start. The story of the struggling Karma (Danny) is no longer his alone now, it is that of his headstrong daughter and her brother. The voice changes from that of her brother to hers. The view changes from childhood to adolescence. The child-like voice said ‘Its difficult to be a child but it must be much more difficult to be an adult’ beautifully underlining the various struggles that Karma goes through from difficult landscapes, to age, to territorial upheaval, to the simple but the most pressing problem of survival. The adolescent voice speaks of another world altogether, a mental world, surreal and vibrant, exhibited in her personality, as a suitable backdrop all throughout.
From pure survival to parallel realities and from displacement to fear of loss of spirituality to holding onto the last shred of humanity in the most trying conditions, Frozen is packed with humanitarian themes, sometimes overflowing as they rub sides in constant contact. This explosive mix of parallel themes, explored subtly, sometimes by a situation, sometimes a dialogue, sometimes an emotion, emphasises its raison d’être and makes this small and simple film big and layered.
Danny gets a free rein to explore the inner reaches of the actor in him. No wonder he chose to do it. The range the role offers him is extremely well explored, from tender moments, to moments intense pain, from those of intense physical strain to those of spiritual dilemmas. He plays it quiet and underplayed, always in touch with his character. Lasya, as his intractable daughter is, as a character fascinating, wild, feral yet sharp and feeling. It is ultimately her world that we are left with at the end, her perspective that lends Karma’s story and life a surreal and deeper meaning of life beyond survival and reality beyond perception. Gauri does an excellent take of being the enigma emoting with her eyes and minimal expression. Drama, you see, is not one of the components of this controlled expansive film.
It is maybe fortunate that Frozen came out at a time when films are at a dearth. May it grab as many eye-balls as it deserves.
As for Pfc people, the turnout was quite nice even though it was quite late at night and there were many amongst us who were seeing the film for the second time. That all the more speaks for this hugely engaging piece of poetry on celluloid!
Tags: frozen, PFC Mumbai, shivajee chandrabhushan
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
hey…looks like u had a gala time. should have put up some pics as well…
bahut suna hai…waitin for a b’lore release
Well done PFC Mumbai, that was a commendable effort. Waiting for a Delhi release.
a small step for pfc (may be) & a giant leap for our commitment to cinema. viva cinema!
“Three Monkeys” did not talk to you….wonder who you were referring to ? (:))
A very good effort,all the best.Waiting for it to release in Delhi.