Is this going to be the Golden year for Hindi Cinema?
Yes. I think so. I have always believed that the day the bigwigs start to reinvent themselves our cinema will change. After a great 2008 that goes mostly to UTV , there is a lot of new cinema we are going to watch this year from the big guys. I happened to see Imtiaz Ali’s next,”Love aaj kal” and Zoya Akhtar’s” Luck by Chance”. Both brilliant with big stars and the success of those will make more good cinema. Starting with SDM going on to Luck by Chance and then Delhi 6, three big budget films. A friend’s opinion of Delhi-6,” It is as internal and intimate a film as RDB was external”.Another few films that i either read the script of or seen a part of it or know about it from the biggies are “Wake up Sid” and “Jihaad” by Dharma Productions, “Falling” and “Dhobi Ghaat” by Aamir khan productions, and “Kaminey“, “ishqiyan” a whole lot of them from UTV . Taking risks is going to be the new “Safe” and playing safe will be disastrous. It is too early to talk about Imtiaz’s film as it does not release until June, I will talk about Luck By Chance.
Luck by Chance by Zoya is by far the best debut film of the last decade by any filmmaker including Dil Chahta Hai. After the film I walked up to farhan and told him that,
” Zoya has outshone you , and this is my number one debut film by anyone, you are now second”
He said,”we decided to keep it in the family”
Well I don’t doubt that. A brutally honest picture about the film industry, about dreams and aspirations in the big bad world of Bollywood. Honest to the point of being ironical. Every actor that plays himself in the film is actually ridiculing himself. It is a no holds barred film about how everything and everyone operates in this world, how equations change, how insecurities make decisions and setbacks define life. I did not know where zoya is taking the film and i was scared but she takes it to a point you least expect and still manages to keep the dreams alive, makes you positive about life. On one level the film is about the film industry but on another level it goes beyond that. It could be about cricket, about any other sports or any dream. It becomes the picture of the ruthless world where everyone is trying to survive and they will bullshit anyone and even themselves to get by. Incredible photography by Carlos, great soundtrack and BG score by SEL, the best title sequence i have seen in a long time and brilliantly shot songs. Great performance by everyone, a rebirth for Isha sharvani and sanjay Kapoor, outstanding lead performances by Farhan and Konkona and a howler of a performance by Rishi Kapoor. Even Dimple Kapadia, Sheeba chaddha and Aly khan and Arjun Mathur, all of them brilliant and powerful. After a long time I really enjoyed Javed Saab’s dialogue writing, a lot influenced by his son this time.
It is about Vikram who will do anything to become a star, lie , cheat , manipulate. and Sona who tends to put all her eggs in one basket and dreams of becoming a star. It is about them till they become what they become. It’s about love , life and dreams. It’s about lessons learnt and mistakes made. It is the underbelly and it is the sheen of the film business. It is based on real people and is as real as it can be.
I don’t want to talk anything about these films beyond saying that watching them made me so elated , that i had to write it out. Mark my words, this is going to be the year that hindi cinema will come into it’s own and it will all change. The new wave has gone mainstream.
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
Am looking forward to Luck By Chance, Dilli 6 (I won’t use the new name) and Dev.D eagerly.
The next two weeks are gonna be fuckin awesome…(at least hope)
Awesome ! And I just made plans to watch it this weekend!
2009 ke hindi saneema ki jai ho!
Hey Anurag,
What about Mani Ratnam’s next, RAAVAN(working title?)
Any idea on that?!
Anurag… the revolution has started..
time aa gaya!
God bless u
UNDERGROUND CINEMA ZINDABAD
Hope she makes it big. We need some solid female directors for mainstream cinema, apart from Farah, i dont see anyone, hopefully Zoya will bridge that gap. Good Luck!!
woooohooo…cant wait now!! and if it works out big time, it will be one tight slap for all those idiots who said no to this film cz the character is not paak-saaf like our heroes, he is grey like us! sapnoo se bhare naina, na neend hai chaina….beautiful line…says everything!
Wow…can’t wait. I’ve started believing AK’s predictions after he said SDM will fetch ARR an Oscar nomination few months ago. Love to see all the “risks” that bollywood’s gonna take or taken in the coming months. Jai ho!!
This year I’m also awaiting your both movies and Ravana. Some how, Ravana’s story intrigues me. Wishful thinking but probably SRK would have done justice to it. Besides I’m also waiting for quite a long time for Nagesh Kukunoor’s Aashayein. I have very high hopes from this film. His Dor was peerless. I don’t know two things.
1. Why Chitrangada doesn’t do lead role in all superb movies.
2. Why Mohit Chauhan is still largely untapped.
I went to Himachal Pradesh and it was disappointing to see how few people recognize him there. Despite Khun Chala and now Masakkali, even ARR didn’t take him for some songs which were potentially his signature style.
Anurag,
Its really refreshing and heartening to see a film maker who cares so much about young talent and quality cinema.
Just for this quality alone, I wish you all the success for your upcoming film.
You deserve to be at the forefront of this so called “New Wave”. Wish you guys don’t make the mistakes that the generation of 80’s did.
Bring fresh content. And create an identity for our cinema, which at the moment is not too great.
Kudos to well-crafted desi cinema! Turning of the tide has really been a long time coming. And now is a better time than it has ever been! I really hope “playing safe” proves to be stupendously disastrous. Take risks, go crazy, fall off the cliff, but don’t tread the beaten path for God’s sake! The audiences are much much smarter than a whole lot of film-makers out there and its time they wake up to the reality of the situation. AK, by any chance, do you have any dope on “Kaminey”? That, along with LBC and Dilli 6 are my top three, most awaited movies of the year!
@anurag
I would like to hope that nagesh kukunoor’s 8X10 joins this list
I totally agree on Indian cinema going through a golden phase of sorts
hats of to UTV for producing quality
btw anurag are u sure aamir khan productions is producing a film called “falling” i thought it was supposed to be “dehli belly” ?
Maybe it’s the cynic in me but something is seriously amiss here…Yes the Akhtar clan appear to be a seriously talented bunch of multi skilled people…..they know Bollywood and its intricacies so well that only they can come up with a Luck by Chance..They can exploit it so cleverly that the rest of us call it talent and completely miss whats happening here. The song ‘Bagiya’ is so ironic…..Farkhan Akhtar going to an audition with many other men in a tubelit (mind you!!) room….the Farhan Akhtar who debuted as director with Amir Khan of all people….who had his good friend Hritik( the superstar) in the second and Shahrukh in his third….the Farhan who debuted as an actor in a movie he produced….and is the leading man in his own Sisters debut film as a director…my god!!! Talk about casting!!!!Talk about nepotism!!!These people are very talented but they exploit their talent so cleverly that many people largely miss the main theme thats runs along…which is power, connections and lots of money…while striving for it isn’t a bad thing altogether it’s done so cleverly…here we are all hailing for new cinema…Luck By Chance for me exploits the being victim of ambition part by the people who have (haha!)never had to be victims of such an ambition. Yes Zoya keeps going on about how her script got rejected by this many stars,many miss the fundamental part here…that she HAD the script in the first place, she had the ACCESS to actors so that her script could be heard. Many with much better scripts I imagine won’t even get to the radius of such actors.
The saddest thing for me though is Anurag hailing new cinema for mainstream….the Anurag , if I remember correctly who said that shows like Koffee with Karan were nothing but selfpraising shows….I wonder what he says about Farhans new talkshow…if anything with the success of LBC , Zoya may also be a talkshow host….these people really are multiskilled!!! Let me say again that I have nothing against being multiskilled, usually people in the arts are so….but this is done in such a way that we have Anurag hailing new cinema….yes Indian cinema is changing….but its changing so cleverly right in front of us that we don’t even know it. So to finish this off….there is nothing so fascinating about LBC as a debut…it’s not even a debut film…..they have been in this for so long….the word isn’t right.
Hey ess.e forgot Kaminey and Ishqiyan, will update it.. I am also expecting a lot from Ravan but i know nothing about it.
I think I can’t wait to see – Gulaal.. That’s the one I been waiting… Somehow more than Dev D.. recently saw the promos of Dilli 6 and Luck by Chance and they look good.. Let’s hope they turn out good..
Nik
And, best debut by anyone in last decade.. it’s a big statement.. I haven’t seen the Paanch so, I can’t say yet.. But, for me, Chandni Bar was far better than Dil Chahta Hai.. Even Matrubhoomi was classic.. All of them I rated 10/10 at IMDB..
Nik
Well then Anurag…looking forward for both Dev D and Luck by Chance… Hope Zoya makes it big in the kinky bollywood world…
And, if you exclude Paanch, even Black Friday was far better masterpiece than Dil Chahta Hai.. That’s what I think being grim movies fan..
Nik
Anurag, there is 3 Idiots as well. Raju Hirani on India’s education system, thats gotta be something to look forward to. Aamir is an added bonus to the film.
I agree about the new wave slowly and slowly taking over a big bollywood mainstream.. what I remember about last year in bollywood is not Ghazinis or Rab Ne’s but it was small films like Aamir, Wednesday, Mumbai Meri Jaan, and Rock On!!.. Movies like make me proud of suggesting indian films to my so called intellectual western colleagues.. lol…
Nik
Well there is three idiots and delhi belly too… that is what i mean.. agreat year this is going to be..
well nobody has replied or talked about Nirja’s response .Even the author has posted right below the response but did not mention about it . Would like to his views and other’s views as well on the response
Hey I found this interview link of Kalki Koechlin..the second female lead of DevD
thought of sharing it here…
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/broadband/video/Interviews/QeuTjs58/3/Kalki-Koechlin-Speaks-About-Dev-D.html
I think we are forgetting quite a few like Ashutosh Gowarikars “Whats Your Rashee?”, Anurag Basu’s “kites”
This sure is going to be great year
Anurag,
When I saw the promos, it looked similar to Naach, which again was creatively borrowed from The fountainhead. Please clear my doubts.
Nirja you missed the point.. read what i wrote.. new wave is going mainstream.. that means more funding for small budget independents.. this post is about big producers reinventing.. do you see me mentioning dev d or gulaal there.. no because they are low budget films.
and why judge the film before you have seen it.. i saw a great film yesterday LBC and so wrote about it.. Same way as i write about Low budget films ignored by all of you.. did you go see oh my god or hulla in theatre.. no.. when a karan johar makes a film like dostana, i m happy they made money, but not my kind of a film or supports the cause for cinema.. neverthe less made people happy.. but when he makes an effort to back films that otherwise won’t find backing, i believe one must hail it.
Likewise zoya’s film needed a star, it is an expensive film. like No Smoking needed a star.. the economics of the industry does not function like that.. A gulaal can do without a star but took seven years. Don’t grudge her the advantage of being born in a film family, applaud her for making a risky film, a film that if it would not have worked, would have made things more difficult for people involved.. those were the things i was thinking before i saw the movie.. not after.. i m a convert.. see the film before you judge it and then we will debate.
Coming to Farhan Akhtar there is no doubt that he is talented,but ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ the best debut-little bit difficult to accept.It was an average movie and since because of star power of Amir it became a success.If u look at Farhan’s next 2 films u could see that there was really an overhype about his talent.Is this the same hyping machine running here in the unlikely voice of Anurag here?I will reserve my judgement after watching Luck by chance
Wow..kalki is very pretty and damn confident..am sure, she has done a damn good job of Chanda
Agent Zac. i no nothing about Ravan, what’s your rashi, or kites except the stars in it or the director. The films i have written about is based on the rough cuts i saw or the scripts i have read.
…and no one’s rooting for housefull?
The promo of Luck By Chance is the best I have see in years. No promo has excited me so much. Not even the best Indie films.
And I had said this the moment I saw the promo when it came out. I was surprised that I was the only guy who was so excited about the film.
Seems like I’m not wrong.
There are 3 scenes in the promo that got me so excited.
1) Hritik’s conversation with his manager. I think this is Hritik’s 1st good & meaningful role. What do you say anurag? It should have been played by ShahRukh.
2) The scene where Farhan reaches his Audition & he sees all these struglers waiting outside. The music in that shot also helps.
3) Dimple Kapadia talking to the press.
I fear the plot of Sanjay might be overdone. Same with Juhi as producer’s wife. Or maybe thats how these people are in reality
Anurag is the right man to enlighten us about that too.
nothing is overdone mainak.. you will be surprised by the restraint in the film.
Farhan Akhtar is one person in the industry now whose films I eagerly wait for.In fact his production house excel entertainment has churned some really quality films.Even a film like Lakshya which did not do well commercially is extremely enjoyable.Another great thing about a Farhan Akhtar movie is the music by S-E-L.I think S-E-L reserves their best for Farhan.I really hope Zoya is as good as Farhan.And Karan Johar is also producing some good films like Kal Ho Na Ho,Dostana which he himself is not directing.You can surely make out the difference between Nikhil Advani’s Kal Ho Na Ho and his Salaam E Ishq and CC2C and know what a good producer does to a film.
I think Nirjas comment is very good. Maybe they have the imagination to enter into a world they dont know. Or maybe while auditioning strugglers, they suddenly realized, “oh there is a bloody good story in these bunch of fucking losers”. :-)
Am awaiting Rang Rasiya as well. Something tells me that it would be some sort of a comeback (if one can call that) of Ketan Mehta…
HI,
Add “GULAL” to that list,if it is cleared by the censor board without massacring it & i’m hoping that they do clear it!
Wat about Dev Benegal’s Movie,Road….
anurag,
what about RGV’s AGYAAT & RANN?
@13 Nirja
First watch LBC and then comment on whether Zoya really did justice to the post of director or did she get it courtesy her lineage.
Simply because one is born with a silver spoon doesn’t mean he/she doesn’t deserve it ,nepotism does not mean that I should carry the guilt of success or failure of my fathers ,it simply means that my success should be a function of my aptitude.
Everyone deserves one chance ,Farhan has already proved his calibre ,give his sis one chance as well.
certainly +ve signs for the industry i guess for the year 2009 ! hope to see some content or at least good acting :P
Anurag,@40 Vineet….I fully accept that I have not seen the film but surely there is something so ironic in the scene where Farhan goes to audition..he of all people oh we surely know has not had to do that…he hasnt made his actors do that…i’m amazed how people have missed this irony…thats what i meant…its done so cleverly…but then its the cynic in me.
Vineet….I think Zoya will do justice to her role by capitalising on both.irony again..
Apart from the one’s already mentioned here,
Sudhir Mishra’s upcoming films “Tera Kya Hoga Johnny” and “Ek Aur Devdas” sound terrific too. I believe even Quick Gun Murugan is up for release. That should be something.
Anyone know what Sriram Raghavan is upto these days? Can’t wait for his next film.
I really hope so, Anurag! I guess the wave began last year, with sparks of brilliance here and there although they were few and far in between.. Mithya, Welcome to Sajjanpur, A Wednesday, Mumbai Meri Jaan.. 3 of them UTV.. You are totally right in telling that when the biggies begin bearing the torch of change, good times for cinema surely arrive. Thats what I also meant when I wrote about Karan Johar working with newcomers.. Not because of his cinema, but because he has access, because he can afford risks.. and then they show faith in new things, new actors, fresh scripts and anything pathbreaking, change arrives and how! Really hoping that Luck by Chance begins the new year well for all of us, a great follow up to what Slumdog has already done!! Fingers crossed!!
The title ‘Is this going to be the Golden year for Hindi Cinema?’…Caught my attention because its very rare that one uses the term ‘Hindi Cinema’…its so right because we are so used to hindi films being shown as representative of the whole when it just so isnt….
Times they are a-changing.Two Karan Johar films in Anurag Kashyap’s list of awaited movies of the year. Are we going to hear an annoucement soon- Farhan Akhtar producing a film written/directed by Anurag Kashyap.
The title is not matching with the content.Most part of the article you are talking about LBC, where as the title is different.
How about ‘Firaaq’ by Nandita Das?
The moolah coming in is gud news… & its high time it came in. That’ll make it win-win for both the indie filmmakers (a movement cant sustain itself & progress for years at end without inputs) as well as for the big banners (some of their products do click but more & more of them are failing at the BO.
Personally, I think 2007 was THE year for Hindi films: 3 from Anurag, KKC, Manorama…, Johnny Gaddar, Loins of Punjab (If I may call it Hindi), Honeymoon Travels, Life in a Metro, Jab We Met… with a lineup like that (& I have missed some) money had to come in. Even Brand Khan brought in Chak De & TZP.
@rbehemoth, Rang Rasiya, I wont’t say, is a great film, but important nonetheless, and a damn good story. I saw it in IFFK, and wrote on it too here:
http://passionforcinema.com/iffk08-day-two-15-hours-of-cinema/
As of LBC, the only thing that interests me in it is Sanjay Kapoor.
SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME IF QUICKGUN MURUGAN IS EVER GOING TO RELEASE AND IF YES WHEN
is karan johar becoming ‘new wave’ or is anurag kashyap turning ‘mainstream’?
@Tushar(50) – hmmmmmmmmmmmmm… Now I realise, I was expecting a bit too much. Some solid self-indulgent mess (in a +ve sense). Some solid earth-shatteringly different treatment or something… Probably something like Abhay or Hey Ram… Good to tone it down now than to be disappointed.
INSHALLAH!!
I guess noone gets the point.. well.. i guess noone reads.. they just see the titles in bold.. no wonder nothing ever moves in this country.. If from the comments i make a list of blind idiots who do not get the point of this article they would be..jitesh and aditi..
This article is about MAINSTREAM BIGGIES DOING SOMETHING EDGY AND EXCITING.. the list doesn’t have My Name is Khan, but it has two films by Rensil De Silva and Ayan, first time directors making a film that others wouldn’t have backed and mainstream actors would not have acted in it..
And them doing it makes it easier for people like you to get a film made..
rest i think i should stop trying to explain to people who refuse to listen.
Fair point Anurag. We as a society have become too cynical about everything around us. It has clouded our judgement. Something which I have often encountered on other blogs as well.
Anurag,
Must tell you this – DevD music rocks… It is a great trip and so damn fresh… Expecting a lot out of this film… And from all the names you mentioned here…
Looking forward to Luck by chance… I found the promos really interesting… Hrithik looked relaxed and Isha was looking so good… I must admit that I am getting bored of Konkona…
Cheers,
Hansal
Also UTV did a commendable job last year… making films that are truly ‘recession proof’… hope they continue in the same vein… no star, no personality is bigger than the story… way to go… as for the others I hope they get the smell of the coffee!!!
wow……loved ur list in 2007….hope this year turns out to be bigger and better….
exciting time ahead…..
Anurag what u think of Right Ya Wrong it starrs sunny deol and Irfaan khan
1st promo was quite good
I’m relieved to hear that Anurag.
LBC is the perfect movie to premiere at IFFLA.
In a year when Hollywood has so much interest on Bollywood, imagine how good it will do. UTV should promote it in mainstream theaters.
ARCLIGHT.
With all due respect Anurag,
the golden age of Bollywood has already begun in late 2007 and continued to grow in 2008.
2007’s most remarkable films were Chak De and Manorama-six feet under. Thanks to Aditya Chopra for assembling Shimit Amin, SRK and a dream. Navdeep’s debut was extraordinary. So was Manish Tiwari’s Dil Dosti etc. No smoking cannot escape the reason for that sprouting of golden age. Daring attempt. So was Taare Zameen Par. Another daring attempt at surrealism.
2008 was so far the best year for bollywood cinema, in my opinion. A Wednesday, Rock On, Mumbai Meri Jaan, Aamir, Dasvidaniya, Oh My God and many more low budget productions that audiences embraced. Those movies no longer were watched by the limited ‘art house’ (personally there is no ART genre) fanatics. Yes, the movies mentioned in your post will be a ‘change’ from bigwigs, but those are fruits of the tree sprouted from Manorama, Chak de and flourished by Wedensday and Rock On.
This golden age will be similar to what Hollywood witnessed in 1970’s with Serpico, Taxi Driver, Network, Godfather and Dog Day afternoon. But ironically I want to predict that just like Hollywood’s golden era ended with the giant commercial success of Star Wars, the movie according to Paul Schrader ‘Killed Hollywood’, we will see a great commercial success by someone in Bollywood, for probabilistic limits it could be you since Lucas was independent, and this Golden Era of Bollywood will end.
What about the sequal to ‘Deshdrohi’?!
:p
@Anurag
“risks is going to be the new “Safe” and playing safe will be disastrous.
Its about time people went ahead and made some well thought of movies anyway.
Also in this recession big budget will not be possible either…and guys like you, Dibakar, and others are firing from all cylinders…..
biggies are gonna have to invite you guys to make movies for them….if they want to keep raking the profits.
serve us more well made cinema please !!!
and keep taking risks and telling the untold stories.
Hey Anurag, can you shed some info on why Love Aaj Kal is any good? From the storyline, looks like standard fare to me.
Sriram Raghavan’s Agent Vinod?:D and Raavan.dev d.dilli 6.Luck by chance.imitiaz’s next..woah my gawd..looks like an awesome year for hindi cinema.don wanna miss any of them!:)
hi anurag sir,
i have 2-3 stories or u can say ideas which none other than you can convert into films.well you may be extremely with ur 2 back to back releases, but i am sure u wont be disappointed by me.
looking forward for ur movie DEVD. A
ALL THE BEST.
Sir,
I know this mite not be the right place for this post,
but wanted to make you aware of this remarkable remake of emotional attyachar
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1044464284846&oid=33865259610
yr comments invited
Ah,
the great man himself calling me a blind idiot. Jeevan dhanya ho gaya, sir ji. to quote you, My first instinct whenever i am asked questions or made suggestions to, is to dismiss them, then i can’t help but think over them , about them and sometimes try to answer them or incorporate them. I’ve been dismissed, but now will questioning begin? or will this also go the winds from the east way?
There was a time when most of the people used to wait for RGV’s movies coz he was the only person who had the courage of changing indian cinema..still he has the courage…But, today there are so many talented bunch of directors..like.anurag,ashutosh,Farhan,dibankar,rajkumar hirani,anurag basu,Rakeyesh mehra….soooo..many..indians films are shining…i am sure the day will come..when the whole world would appreciate our work..i hope this year will be lucky for indian cinema
i think we should not forget RGV’s contribution to indian cinema..he was the man who gave us some great films like satya,company and shiva and also inspired many young directors…
Jitesh,
constant allegations without really reading what someone meant in the first place pisses one off. I was pissed off. Now i am not. throw it my way.
hi anurag
i want to bring to your attention to a legacy that you can possibly leave through DevD (though i doubt it is of any importance to you as a ‘creative’ filmamker)
i work for a boutique film production firm that has a slate of productions for 2009-2010.. most of the movies are small to medium budget films with good scripts, first time film makers, the works….
one of my jobs is to meet various studios based in mumbai for funding purposes and in the course of my visits with various top level professionals, a recurring theme has been how the movie DevD will fare on feb 6th? it is not because they are a fan of your work but they want to see how the audience will react to this movie (unlike No Smokin which frankly no one could understand)
the point i am trying to make (finally) is that DevD has been supported on the P&A side (publicity and advertising) in a very comphrehensive manner.. there isnt a television channel or a street corer wherein i dont get a chance to see something on DevD
as opposed to the other films like Wednesday, Oye Lucky and the like which have been worked on their own merit (basic production costs) and reasonable marketing spends.. but they pale in comparison to DevD in the P&A domain..
because if DevD works then it makes the lives of a lot of people easier (something that you tried very hard to deny with No Smokin).. i can then march into any big studio and talk to some random MBA guy siting in his leather upholstered seat and air conditioned office and tell him that in addition to basic production costs you need to invest in marketing…otherwise the movie will only be a ‘critically acclaimed’ venture as opposed to making money for all parties concerned…and that makes it that much harder for me to sell
you might wonder why this is any of your business?? i would like to say that maybe you should start to make it yours because a lot of people are waiting for the emotional attyachar but for various different reasons…
Well, drifting away from the content, I would like to ask “Wouldn’t the title(English) affect the movie in some way?” Well, as per the trailers, no doubt that even the small centers would be interested as it showcases the Bollywood, however a title does play a role in creating the initial interest? Innit?
Anurag — 2008:UTV::2009:Excel Entertainment?
Is Excel going to produce your movies?
g,d&r :P
had written a post on LBC, for those filmis who might have missed…
http://passionforcinema.com/not-just-luck-by-chance/
Ravi.. sorry to disappoint you, excel is not producing any of my movies. and What UTV achieved in 2008 is there for everyone to see.. i suggest you visit a endoscopy clinic.. get that little insect in your arse pulled out.. it will make you positive.. i tried that , really it’s good.
vee. really the title goes with the film.. watch it i say..then we will discuss conspiracy theories and what did or did not work..
shyam.. we are hoping to do that.. frankly never experienced better producers than UTV.. awesome experience
@78
)
lol
bachhe ki kyon ley raho ho. Bachha ko maf kar do
hey Anurag,
what about ur production ‘Proper Ganja Films’ any film out of that & when can we see ‘Mumbai Cutting’ & ur film in it ‘Pramod Bhai 23′… it has been so long when is ‘Mumbai Cutting’ releasing coz that film is a revolution with so many great directors.
-axay
“you visit a endoscopy clinic.. get that little insect in your arse pulled out.. it will make you positive.. ”
What the heck??? Nice one. Looking forward to LBC and of course “Dev D”, saw Chanda’s interview yesterday, god i am floored by her, anxiously waiting for the movie. Music of “Dev D” is simply awesome.
hi anurag,
i m feeling beyond emberrased to write this message..well i m a ca but always wanted to make films..i shifted to mumbai and made few shorts and tried to get a job in the ad dept and even in prod houses but failed to break in..i will ofcourse keep on trying and know will make it..i m not asking for any help..butjust wanted to know if u know of vacancies somewher or have any idea as how to start of, or know of groups who are looking to make some independent films..i have avoided posting this message to u before as i hate to do such things..my id is chintstrue ( at) @gmail…. if u have anything to reply or its totally ok if u dont have anything to reply this post..no prob and sorry to post such message here..anyways keep making great films..
@anurag….
“.. but when he makes an effort to back films that otherwise won’t find backing, i believe one must hail it.” you say this about Karan Johar..
I almost fell off my chair when i read that Dharma productions is making jihaad and another…
While its a valiant effort on his part (u also say that) to support films that need such backing… its all greed. He found out theat these movies click and “who behti ganaga me haath dho raha hai”……
I hated his TV shows where all his favorite ppl are shown sucking up to him…PPl cud give a rats ass to all the stuff he shows .His movies are an ode to Designer wear and NRI culture. We dont need any of that. I can only give credit to his music sense. His movies have had good songs.
I wish Karan Johar himself wud make some meaningful cinema..Only then would I hail him…
Biggies will turn to hiring good directors like you and others ..but for their own profits. They know guys will deliver a good product at much lower budgets…..You guys and other creative ppl shouldnt stand exploitation…
@ 85
if only karan johar’s movies showed real NRI culture, it would be cool. his movies cater to the NRI diaspora, but there’s nothing that is remotely reflective of their culture. anyways, i think we should still stand up for him if his production house is tackling different issues and themes. even if it’s for money. actually, if it’s for money then it’s good because that really vindicates anurag’s point that money is flowing in the right direction and we can really look forward to a golden year (not just in terms of quality cinema but a small shift in the ideology of filmmaking perhaps).
” i suggest you visit a endoscopy clinic.. get that little insect in your arse pulled out.. it will make you positive.. i tried that , really it’s good.”
wow!!! what a response. uske saare sulemani aur rehmani keede dar gaye honge.
papaji Namstey london showed some how accurate portrayel of NRI culture specailly of young girls
I’m most curious about Dhobi Ghaat. Interesting title and I hope it’ll turn out to be a good film too. I saw the poster of Gulal outside PVR last weekend and that got me quite excited. Like someone else mentioned, I too am looking forward to Gulal more than Dev.D. From all your movie posters, seems like your favourite shade is Red, Anurag.
@Nirja (13)
Your argument sounds very similar to the way people keep dissing David Beckham. Just because they can’t find fault with his game, they find fault with his wife’s fashion sense, his endorsements, his hairdos and what not…forgetting all the while that he’s a player and should be judged solely on the basis of his game.
Similarly, a filmmaker should be judged solely on his/her body of work and/or public utterances. Your argument would make perfect sense if Zoya were to make one terrible film after the other and producers would still line up at her door. So far, even her first film hasn’t been released. Don’t you think its way too premature to start lynching her for her industry connections?
Let me try saying the same thing with an example. Popular perception rates Abhishek Bachchan as atleast a decent actor, if not a good one. But he had to wade his way through numerous duds, both commercial as well as cinematic. Here’s a perfect case where someone was constantly saved from doom by the virtue of his family’s legacy in his industry. But even he has by now given us some memorable roles (Yuva, Guru, Naach). Agreed that others wouldn’t have gotten the opportunity to do a Yuva or a Guru after a Refugee or a Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost. But is that his fault? He just used a little maneuverability that the system accorded him to his advantage. He didn’t commit a crime.
Conversely, the very same system that gave us an Abhishek Bachchan who discovers himself after a stuttering start, also gave us a Shahrukh Khan & an Akshay Kumar – people who made it to the top without having a family name to back them up. The same system that gave us a Farhan Akhtar also gave us a Dibakar Banerjee & an Imtiaz Ali. So why all the brouhaha?
Bottomline – No system is perfect. And every system has varied shades of black & white. Glorifying one side while completely ignoring the other is a dangerous mindset.
OT :
When I heard the name Kaminey for the first time, my instinctive reaction was being reminded of Quentin Tarantino’s latest – Inglorious Basterds. Is there any connection? :P
anurag ji ab dikha bhi do…bahut wait ho gayi..I know DevD is the next DDLJ..real looove..really curious how u show the pindu panju culture of punjab..and is there anyway u can release paanch..straight to DVD types..
Hi Anurag,
I sure hope your prediction is correct, because it would be huge shot in the arm to the many films that are struggling to get made w/out the attachment of gigantic stars.
My only fear with LBC is that its success will be attributed to the giant star cast that it has, and the likelihood that the cast will overshadow the skill and guts of the filmmakers.
We’ve been toiling in an industry that has favoured cult of personality over content, and yes UTV has begun to turn that trend. I’m glad that the US studios operating in India all failed in their initial rounds, because they all bought into the idea of stars solely being profitable. Stars alone cannot make a film successful, and nor can high-concept alone. Stars give visibility for the business, and it is the craft that gives enjoyment to the audience. I think UTV is the only studio thus far to understand that.
As a filmmaker I want to make story, visuals and music the stars of my film, but I also accept the reality that promotion and tapping the diaspora dollar requires a star. I can’t pitch a film like TKM without talk of star returns, which is immensely frustrating because current star salaries are killing my budget. Conversely I hope films like LBC, Dehli-6 and Dev.D show the stars that there are dividends to committing to craft. Dividends in 2008 were paid in ridiculous salaries, hopefully in 2009 the dividend will come in audiences enjoying and willingly paying to see good work.
All the best with Dev.D, I love the soundtrack and the promos I’ve seen. This is extremely viable cinema, one that embraces entertainment, pushes the envelope and satiates all. Good luck, and let’s hope my film finally sees the light of day in this current market, thank you so much for all of your help and work on it. I’m positive for 2009. :o)
Anurag I second Praneet on Paanch..why cant Paanch get a DVD release..is it not feasible?..or are u planning to give it a proper theatrical release sometime soon like your Gulal?..would love to see Paanch anywhich way
how did you find yourself in LBC?
ek do teen chaar PAANCH . . . . .
Read somewhere about Bombay Velvet with John Abraham. Is it true? What about the rumour it being based on a 60’s mass leader! Is it a political film? Can you share something with us at this moment.
@papaji,
I simply refuse to stand up for Karan johar . Dharma might make 5 low budget movies using upcoming directors ,rake in the moolah and our dear old KJ might (i cant vouch for this but chances are very high) he will churn out another STUPID but very melodious …blockbuster which will absolutely numb my senses and lotsof others…
I cannot take that. Namesake portrays the NRI culture realistically (jhumpa lahiri having been one). Kuch kuch hota hai,Kabhi alvida and Kal ho na ho are absolute eyesores.
The humor(Kajol making fun of angrez ppl , or some stupid sardar jokes, kantabai ) is not funny any more. PPl dont want stupid melodrama from SRk. He can act. no stupid plots preferably involving obscenely rich ppl. Its time to have more in a movie but just designer clothes and naach gaana.
I felt cheated when “Jaane tu..” just portrayed party hoppong culture from Bandra, paid rehman for the music. I expected more from a movie endorsed by Aamir.
Cute faces and good songs do not a movie make. Its about time to dispel such sterotypes. Every time a movie like this comes out you are endorsing the “star” culture.
We need movies with substance and not stars.
But of course. That was just a question considering your last two titles were in English. Both made sense to me and both partially to the crowd around.
I agree with Neerja’s comment about the irony of the Akhtar family making a movie on a newcomers struggle to become a part of the film “fraternity.” This is not really Zoya Akhtar’s film but the combined effort of the whole clan with freebie cameos thrown in by some of the biggest stars of the industry. Even Konkana, the female lead, though not from a “star” family, has not really gone through the humiliating rounds that many of us have to make to catch the attention of people like Farhan Akhtar. There is no professionalism in the Bollywood film industry. We all know that everyone from Anurag Kashyap to “Rakyesh” Mehra has to kowtow to the tunes of the studio bosses. Somebody should make a movie on this clan controlled world of Mumbai. Madhur Bhandarkar, what say you?
Sevian and everyone.- I have seen Zoya and Farhan since early nineties, struggling on their own. They were part of the writing group for Adi Pocha which wrote “shanti”, the first daily soap. They never went around throwing their family credentials ever. After five to six years of working with UTV , Mtv they did their first directing bit together for breathless the shankar mahadevan video. Zoya assisted Mira Nair and handled productions. When Farhan wrote DCH and approached Aamir, he wasn’t what he is today, Saif was almost finished and Akshay Khanna was bpnafide flop, priety had just started to come into her own, and SEL became big with that film. Farhan never went to a single actor telling them whose son he was and waited close to two years for Aamir to say yes. Today they get anyone because of their past credentials which are their own. Zoya wrote LBC in 2002 and noone wanted to do it, she instead of playing safe waited and became EP on other Farhan’s projects and got Honeymoon Travels made. And all the star appearences in the movie , when you will see it, you will see are necessary and not overused or exploited. Give the credit where it is due, they have consistently strived for excellence and have produced results is why the credibility. They haven’t had it easy and LBC has taken 7 years to come on screen , and it uses farhan because , he is credible in the role and the film needed a lot of money to be made, and she cast farhan after she saw him in that unreleased film Fakir. And this is not a film made by Family, it is just one person’s show and that is Zoya Akhtar. It has taken her 15 years to get to this point, and she is not younger but elder to farhan.
yes…luck by chance seems interesting…more than that, i am eagerly waiting for Peter Gaya Kaam Se and Aage Se Right…but right now, i’m looking forward to your film on 6th…can’t wait.
exciting it is going to be..paving the way for more good stories, handled by major production houses, had a feeling about this after UTV’s gallant show last year.
But, the turning point in all this was Bheja Fry. That turned the tide effectively. Creativity went mainstream from that point. Everyone smelt moolah at the other end of the spectrum. Then, TZP came along and the stars realised what could be achieved. Chke De had alredy done some spadework.
What we see today is the result of what happened then.
@100 anurag thanks for the info on Farhan and Zoya.Now I am even more eager to watch LBC.
Anurag, it is very cool to get a reply from you!!!
Can’t you appreciate a wee bit of harmless leg pulling? :( … ;-)
I saw all the movies you’d recommended and loved them!
AFAIK, there are more less PITA methods of getting bugs rid of your arse, which are being used since the time of WWI.
ravi.. was that leg pulling? ok sorry.. but could not resist that one liner..
yay! I inspired a witty one-liner!
heck… dudes, tell me, if they use the same endoscopic tube into arse and mouth!? :O
Hi Anurag,
I have watched all your films till date. I totally agree with Hansal Mehta when he said in his blog “Anurag Kashyap has realized only 20% of his full potential”. Remember i met you 2 years back in bombay with the synopsis of my story “Rashq” ???
Regards,
Phinzy
(Phaneendra Nyshadham).
After reading comment 100 by anuragbhai, I think my comment @35 is unwarranted. Looking forward to LBC and also towards DevD and Gulaal.
And I disagree with Hansal Mehta on his comment about Anurag that says: “Anurag Kashyap, the writer of some forgettable flicks… We make him into a messiah, a torch bearer, a God. Any negative comments on him are slammed. Bad reviews for his films are taken as a personal affront. Give the guy a break. If he begins believing that only PFC means excellence, if he believes that only PFC understands his cinema and only PFC means the cinematic universe it will be a great disservice to him”
.
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My Response was:
.
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The only thing common to Anurag Kashyap and me is that we both smoke Classic Milds. I have never met him and only know him through his cinema. He obviously just knows my name. So now that I have given the background, let me tell you what I think of him. I made some wrong choices in life; like I took up engineering and went to a business school. I wanted to go to a film school. Now it’s too late for me. I live Cinema vicariously through PFC. As though a dead part of mine has resurrected and living a covert and isolated but happy life. Anurag took 12 years to bring his first movie as a director to fruition and then the censors didn’t allow him because apparently there was “no positive message” in the movie. He made the brilliant “Black Friday” and it was again banned. (Correct me with my facts if I am wrong) He waited for 2 years. His Gulaal has been in waiting for many years. It so hard to hold back when you have such an amazing work that is kept hidden from the world. Do you know what it does to a person? When his art is not taking form, when he is rebelling from within and when there is no light on the other side of the tunnel? You give in, you succumb to the system. Not with AK here. He persists, he gets beaten up but he doesn’t become a whore to materialism and conformity. He continues his art, his volition and his vision in “No Smoking”. He gets crucified by the media. He still persists. His persistence, art and integrity to his “being” inspire me. I am working hard with what I am doing professionally and personally. The Howard Roark in him makes me not to give in. Every time I regret not to have taken up films in my life and go back to board presentations and strategy, I feel happy someone is living my dream. Someone had the balls of steel to persist. I gave in, he did not. I feel like I haven’t lost. This is the reason why he is the “torch bearer”, “god” for me Mr. Mehta. I have thought about No smoking for more than a month and then I had to watch a lot of movies to get it off my head. Even in my personal struggles (not the vicariously lived cinema) his ideologies help me. His cinema is hope to many more cinema aspirants like me. Although I am a loser w.r.p cinema, that I sacrificed my soul to the evil like K in no smoking, I am happy for so many budding cinema aspirants that there is AK to look up to. You can only crucify a man to a point of making him god.
Neeraj boy you put too much of a burden on me.. i m just trying to get by and make my next film..
Neeraj is right !!!
GK
Anurag! Been trying to reach you…
Good luck with DevD. I have been running a one man marketing campaign in Singapore. Was really pleased when someone tried selling the film to me a few days ago. Duniya badi gol hai.
Chill Neeraj..
With these comments you only stregthened Hansal Mehta’s point and proved him right!!
Dear Mr. Kashyap,
I have been an ardant fan of you. Because I always believe that you are amongst the few who stand up in this industry on their own terms. I know enough has been said about you and I am not the only one. I am though new to this site, I always knew that you have a blogsite but I couldnt trace it (Thanks to my schedule). Just on republic day I met one of my friend who told me that you stay in the same society and same building. I was shocked and I requested him to take me to his society and how much I wanted to knock on your door and just bow my head down to you in respect.
I am a hardcore Bollywood or Indian Film Industry fan and my knowledge and passion comes from the movies I have been watchin all this while. Please excuse me for writing too long but I guess I cant control myself as for me its about Anurag Kashyap.
Mr. Kashyap, I love all kinds of cinema and I have never restricted myself or taste for any genre or directors or actors or even region. I see all kind of cinemas, I must admit though I consider you a topnotch and a legendary maker, I would continue in the same breath to take names of even a few directors whom you mite not like your name to be called with them, but for me cinema is about entertainment and it has place for all kind of genres.
I really appreciate you bringing in the insight of the industry thru ur blogs, Luck by chance, is definetly a movie to watch out for and is in my wishlist. I wish that I could be as lucky as you to watch it before the world. I seriously need to compliment you for making Dev.D, Abhay Deol is an actor whom I had predicted would be a ‘Lambi race ka ghodaa’ and I was so happy to see you guys associating for a movie, I must admit that I was skeptical abt the movie as Devdas and in modern version did not seem a good idea to me. But kudos to you and the promo makers the day I saw the promo of the movie, I was floored. I dont know what impacted me the most, the sleekness of the promo or the music or Abhay Deol in such an Avatar or the usage of explicits in the promo. whatever it was, the effect was longlasting. I need to congratulate you for introducing a master musician named Amit Trivedi. Boy o Boy he is a genius. Be it Emoshanal attyachar- brass band and rock version ( I am yet to figure out which is better), Duniya, Pardesi, Nayan Tarse, Aankh Micholi, etc. etc. every one of them is out of the world. Kudos to you and your team for making Dev D. I just cant wait till 6th Feb to watch the movie.
Anyways sorry for my thoughts going wayward, But my point is apart from all the movies you said, I just cant remove My Name is Khan from the list as according to me this would be a big leap for Karan Johar from his usual candy floss movies. Atleast the story line and SRKs new hairdo suggests that. There is a long rivalry which was there between you and Karan hopefully thats over now as you are doin screenplay or dialogues for Jihaad by Rensil D’silva. SRK according to me is the most misunderstood star & actor by many and I would love to know your view or comments on him. Farhan Akhtar & Abhay Deol are the current face of industry or changing cinema and we need to appreciate them. But I feel SRK was the one who changed it all at a time. Now though he is playing safe but as I see now, he is doing 2 movies at a time, one experimental for him and other his normal stuff. Whichever way but he is making every move right and making it count. Appreciate him for it guys.
Karan Johar and Aditya Chopra according to me are one of the finest makers of the country as I feel they are technically brilliant. For eg. RNBDJ had the best sound editing of recent times in a very normal movie and to me it would remain pathbreaking movie for Yashraj with the entire movie based on 3 characters only. Karan Johar is a brilliant story teller and entertainer who knows editing and screenplay very well. Whichever way, I feel they are the best in the business with whatever they are doing.
Mr. Kashyap, I have been a big fan of your work, I really appreciate Black Friday for its brilliance of characters, the way it was shot and all. No Smoking for me would be a Technical masterpiece ( Though the ending is something I still need to understand) and return of hanuman for making it entertaining. I really hope that Dev D meets commercial success and critical acclaim both and takes you ranks above so that we get to see Paanch. I am dying to watch that movie, atleast it gets a DVD release if not theatrical. Gulaal, I hope doesnt hit troubled waters again.
Mr. Kashyap, I know its too long a piece for you to read. But i would really appreciate if you could please spare sometime and reply to me. It would give me tremendous confidence and a reason to actually knock your door without hesitation ;-).
True that Zoya & Farhan are Akhatrs and as AK has already mentioned about their stuggling times – I am impressed. Pls do think how much expectations they carry on their shoulders by just being “Akhtars”….If they fail they are no Akhtar , if they Succeed then They are Akhtars and take all the brunts for being Akhtar….
Neeraj .. i’m not against Anurag Kashyap’s work.
How could i be .. bloody hell .. he creates havoc with his work on celluloid (in a fab way).
The only thing i’m saying is .. the best is yet to come from the man…. so why worry about NO SMOKING all over again when he is on to his next projects .. Gulaal and Dev.D will speak for his work. Wait and relax.
I love Anurag the dialogue writer and actor more
than Anurag, the director. May be i’m biased here. I wish this happens .. i wanna cast Anurag the actor in the role of a person who suffers from “APOPHENIA”. I think he would rock.
Anurag as a director, i wish to ask you something … in my opinion, Salman Khan is a talent who is not explored yet fully.
Phinzy.
Neeraj .. i’m not against Anurag Kashyap’s work.
How could i be .. bloody hell .. he creates havoc with his work on celluloid (in a fab way).
The only thing i’m saying is .. the best is yet to come from the man…. so why worry about NO SMOKING all over again when he is on to his next projects .. Gulaal and Dev.D will speak for his work. Wait and relax.
I love Anurag the dialogue writer and actor more
than Anurag, the director. May be i’m biased here. I wish this happens .. i wanna cast Anurag the actor in the role of a person who suffers from “APOPHENIA”. I think he would rock.
Anurag as a director, i wish to ask you something … in my opinion, Salman Khan is a talent who is not explored yet fully. What do you think of him as an actor .. having watched films like Khamoshi?
Phinzy.
Yes. I had guessed it right so I booked tomorrow’s ticket !! I am eagerly waiting for Delhi-6.
One more movie which I am waiting by standing on the nails of my feet, is SURMAYI SHAAM. Hopefully Naseer saab gives the promised dates and Brahmanand Singh (Pancham film) is able to complete it in this year !!
I think too that this is a very exciting time in hindi movies. Hope all this takes our industry to a place which the talent in it rightly deserves. Looking forward to watching “Luck by chance” after reading this article. Btw, I think the DEV D album is AMAZING!!! Doing a brass-band version of “emotional atyachaar” is a brainwave.
of all ur forthcoming movies, ie dev d, gulaal, blue velvet(or purple velvet) etc, the one i am most eagerly waiting for is ‘doga’.
dunno bout rest of u guys bt doga has always been one of my favourite super heroes. but smhow i ws nevr satisfied with the treatment he got from RAJ COMICS. hope u do to doga wot the nolans did to batman ( read THE DARK KNIGHT)
PS: pls dnt let RC dictate the script/dialogues or u r losing a LARGE numbr of ur fans.
Film industry ki vaat lagegi in the first quarter of 2009..Right now i cannot see anything beyond the first quarter..
Some of the good movies will find awards but will not find any audience..
Watch it.. cynic watever.
Rajeev masand is the most honest critic there is.. I don’t agree with him at times but he is honest.. i appreciate the guy.. he is as extreme in his taste as i am in my opinions..would much rather know his opinion than the others
Hi, Anurag. Just came back from “Luck By Chance”. Now I have seen you act 2 places. Sar-sar-sarla and Luck By Chance. Liked your acting a lot esp. “Murder” dialogue. Waiting eagerly for Shagird now. It’ll be great to see you saying Tishu’s dialogues. So, finally the D-day is near for Dev.D. The whole of IIT Bombay is going to jam the Mumbai Movie Halls I guess.
- Ankit
Yeah let’s hope the film industry makes good profit and keep the masses happy in these recessionary times… All the best to UTV (SPOTBOY) and other’s who make bugdet & ‘Forbiden Films’. :-D
Alright, saw morning show. Lovely movie with superb acting by all. But I disagree that Luck by Chance by Zoya is by far the best debut film of the last decade by any filmmaker including Dil Chahta Hai. The movie is brutally honest and surreal, no doubt. However, I would say DCH was better compared to this (if we talk in terms of best debut only). I am not giving the credit to DCH, there could be many good ones in last decade (there are in fact; including your BF), but LBC is certainly not.
P.S. Rishi and Dimple were the best. And your second scene was killer. “Khoooonnnn” kar daala. What an expression!!!
Against my religion, about LBC, here’s what I think:
A film that wishes to deconstruct how a film is not necessarily aiming to be cult.
On Farhan :
I have always held my own, not wanting to see Farhan Actor, only Farhan Director, but in a scene where he has an emotional outburst, I dropped my guard and will hike up Pali Hill to give him a hug.
On Koko :
Konkona is my fave gal. She is simply flawless.
Full review :
http://www.bombaybitch.com/site/movie_review__luck_by_chance/
Hi Anurag sir… i’m new to your blog..
Anyway thanks for sharing this with us. At the moment i’m extremely excited about your Dev. D and Vishal Bharadwaj’s Kaminey..!! I hope all these film succeeds at the box office.. because its very important to connect with the masses too. We always talk about the new intelligent cinema coming up, but what about the common man..? He’s still trapped in those running around the tree kind of cinema..when will he accept new kind of cinema! But it feels good that the film like A WEDNESDAY connected with the messes too! I’m just hoping that Dev. D succeeds in winning the hearts of one and all!! All the best.
Well i’m nobody to give u any suggestion, but still i would like to tell u that u just be the way u are!! we love ur films, keep the approach same. u simply rockk!! :-)
Fully in agreement with Vee@126, about the Best debut. The film (LBC) was quite well made and clean entertainment, but IMHO, DCH was far far better. In my books it is one of the best Debuts ever in the industry. Maybe I am not from the industry, so did not get some subtle points in the film.
anurag what a performance
murder kardenge madam….khoon ka murder kardenge
lol
Cinematically, I found Aamir, Black Friday and TZP as the best directorial debuts that i can think off. With Farhan, I think there were too many things that helped his debut than just the director’s craft: The three stars, youth, Goa, awesome music and urban culture. This is just IMO.
No comment on LBC from because am gonna it tomorrow.
Well Anurag, just wanted to know if your are coming up with ‘DOGA’ (I guess it’s one of your growing up fav comic character) & ‘MUMBAI VELVET’. If yes, then is it this year itself or it might spillover to the next year.
Moving to the Topic ‘Is this going to be the golden year for the hindi cinema’
I agree UTV Movies has done immensely good last year & hope it will continue to do so. I dnt know if you as well know this Chandan Arora’s Striker looks appealing as well for the year ahead and somehow he is producing the film himself. So, How difficult is producing your own film? Do not know if you can answer that well…
Since are close to Abhay, when is forbiden films launching its film?
Saw the movie last night and loved the first half. Second half became a bit boring for me, but nevertheless a great debut movie
just came back after watching LBC.. and wat a movie it has been… an amazing satire… hypocricy and the struggle behind the glamor world… the movie started with capturing the lives of the people behind film making… spot boys, cameramen, tailors, etc. each and every star in the movie had a reason being there in the movie… AKs scene with isha and farhan was hilarious… songs were amazing… good camerawork… couldnt ask for more…BEST SCENES: 1. dimple kapadia and isha’s scene, 2. farhan with SRK , 3. Hrithik with Johar, 4. and the last scene konkona travelling in the taxi..
best debut in last 10 years? I will give it to Dibakar for Khosla Ka Ghosla
Hi anurag,
I enjoyed DEV D songs . Amit trivedi has introduced a really different “sound” in indian music scenario after a r rahman. The best example for this is the song “Pardesi”. You know i didn’t sleep yesterday night and was writing a screenplay for a malayalam movie and i was listening to “Pardesi”,the whole night because it inspired me to heaven. The fusion music with which the song get started [that fusion of veena and electrican organ..],Oh what a heavenly experience was that….I was [and am] a big fan of yours and use to follow all your write ups in this blog but this is the first time i am writing anything to you…It’s because of DEV D ’s music….I liked amit trivedi after his debut album “JUnoon”[ Songs like Junoon and "Doondein" were wonderful}.....Keep rocking [ with brass band version of "Emotional atyachaar...hmmm...]….Take care..WIth love…Vaishak….
Hi Anurag..
I watched luck by chance last night..its good movie but not great movie!If u compare it with DCH it’ll not be fair..DCH was the trendsetter but that element luck by chance does not have!
May be u r feeling it gr8 as u are part of the movie!!
I feel in bollywood also movies like slumdog millionaire and the curious case of benjamin button should be made..if u have not watched benjamin button..please watch it!
With Good Cinema we should move forward for more imaginative and creative work..I want to watch ur paanch..and eagerly waiting for gulal and Dev D..
No doubt u r a odd man out in bollywood…ur films are going into history of indian cinema.!!
take care
I love this kind of posts:)
Last year you suggested Johhny Gaddar, JWM. Sometime back Mumbai Meri Jaan. Loved all of them.
Saw LBC yesterday. I must say quite mature film. Title picturization was great. That coffee mug on the script, Awesome.
Looking forward to the rest. Especially Dev.D and Gulaal.
Change is inevitable, I hope the award juries start appreciating meaningful movies, let the rest ride at BO.
Sir ji, Paanch ke darshan karava do kahi se.
Also, Can you review my short films?
aah, forgot to mention. You were good too, why don’t you come on screen often?
Best debuts(ranging from interesting to good to superb) in my opinion
ANURAG KASHYAP(BLACK FRIDAY)
FARHAN AKHTAR (DIL CHAHTA HAI)
TIGMANSHU DHULIA (HAASIL)
SHIMIT AMIN (AB TAK CHHAPPAN)
SRIRAM RAGHAVAN (EK HASINA THI)
JIJI PHILIPS (MY WIFE’S MURDER)
DIBAKAR BANERJEE (KHOSLA KA GHOSLA)
VISHAL BHARADWAJ (MAKDEE)
CHANDAN ARORA (MAIN MADHURI DIXIT BANNA CHAHTI HOON)
Regards,
Santino
my debut was PAANCH
anurag bhai app ki debut fil zarror hogi PAANCH
par “BALCK FRIDAY” kaya film thee bahut accha issi tarah ki film aur acting dhekne ka dil karta hai
anurag bhai plz kuch baten hindi main bhi ho jaye to kaya baat hay ( bas asia hi )
Hello Santosh,
Where is Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge??!! (even if we chose to ignore KKHH by Johar)…
My Wife’s Murder was trash. Rest of the list is spot on IMHO.
I actually liked My Wife’s Murder ya…
My itsy-bitsy addition to Santino’s list.
Shashank Gosh – Waisa Bhi Hota Hai Part – II
QUEEN – ‘MUMBAI VELVET’…..WTF!!!!!! my heart skipped a beat.
Anurag,
Agreed, Great Film. Even I think better than DCH. But don’t you think a little bleak. I mean in recent months got to see two films based on glamour industries: Fashion and LBC. Though LBC, a much superior work to the former, what they have in common is that they both seem to emphasize that in these “worlds”, If you are a girl and want to make it, then the only way to do is – to sleep around.
It ends up projecting the thought that you want to succeed in filmdom, talent doe not matter at all. Hope you get my point. I mean we have people like Hirani, Gowarikar and even “Anurag-who gets to make his own films, what else does he want from life- Kashyap”, who have made it through sheer talent and struggle.
Why not a small but positive subplot about that as well.
I am sure not everyone slept around and licked ass to become successful in life.
Thats not a criticism of the film. Just an afterthought.
Anyways wish you luck for Dev D. Watching LBC it becomes impossible to think that there is a lucky “institute” bitch like you
who gets a “chance” to have his own film released this friday.
All in jest and may God truly bless you.
And another one to the list
OM DAR BADAR – Kamal Swarup. “Bestest” Debut. Channel V and MTV owe it to him.
Kabir Kaushik – Sehar
Anurag@141, Nopes that cannot be considered if we audiences have not even seen it.
Santino@140, Agree totally (though a lil not sure of MMDBCH as best debut)
What is Bharat Rangachary who made the smashin “Subah” for TV made films? did he? that would have been a great debut too IMO.
Aditya Bhatacharya – Rakh
kuch bhi likh raha hun….let me stop
Bharat Rangachary made the ultimate classic “waqt hamara hai” but I do not remember as a director or producer… It was a gem of a movie with that sunil shetty song “tumko dekha aur ho gaya, duniya se begana main” and a tit-for-tat 80s style dishum dishum between akshay and shetty… one punch for each superstar. LBC, abc… is nothing in front of waqt hamara hai…. i hope its the same bharat bhai :D
Anurag, you’re ruthless man. Why do you deprive us of paanch. How inhuman of you.
anurag u were good on screen,
may be u should also try acting like farhan,
who knws u may get lucky by chance
Santosh@140 – for me Nishikant Kamat, sits right up there !
I think Anurag is correct… there is a lot to look forward to in 2009…
Here’s a gist
http://movies.indiatimes.com/articleshow/3893693.cms
Does anyone know about the cinema listings for Dev D? I’m in Vancouver, Canada. Any chance, it’ll have a release here?
Hi Anurag,
Pardon me if this has already been addressed in the comments, they are so many, wonder how you will read this one., any ways., I live in melbourne, australia. I can’t find your film Dev D listed in any cinemas upcoming for release here at all. Please, pleaes enlighten me and tell me it is due to release in melbourne. I cannot settle for watching it on a pirated DVD, and waiting for it release on DVD will be like forever, till then every one will reveal almost the entire film.
There is such a big audience here in Melbourne. I can’t see why one would not want care to release it here.
Afif
a few more awesome debut’s:
Navdeep Singh (Manorama Six Feet Under)
Amrit Sagar (1971)
John Matthew Matthan (Sarfarosh)
You forgot to mention one more name who though appear in only 2-3 frame but was/is very convincing i.e. Anurag Kashyap. I love the way you acted man. You can too try your hand in acting but need to put down some weight and loads of attitude ;-)
Cheers
Alok
Hi Anurag,
I have seen the movie Luck By Chance first day first show. Though the first half was good, the movie looses its grip in the second half and fails to convey the message it is supposed to be.
Lately I was reading the book titled “When a tree shook Delhi”. Its a great book on 84 carnage. I want you to read the book and make a film on it.
About best debut as director there are so many names:
Nishikant Kamat: Mumbai meri Jaan
Neeraj Pandey: A Wednesday
Dibakar Banerjee: Khosla ka Ghosla
Sagar Ballary: Bheja Fry
Amole Gupte/ Aamir khan: TZP
But my thinking is its the second movie of the director which proves him or her.
Finally had a chance to read this piece, which has now been quoted endlessly on blogs and it articles, of course rightfully so! If I had to sum up Mr. Kashyap’s role in the film industry with one word, I would have to say “Trendsetter”. Way ahead of your time, and way ahead of all of us. So, kudos for drawing attention to yet another film which deserves all the applause and critical admiration it has gotten. And yes, this could even be a film about an office work environment in Italy or the US, such is the depth of situation created by Zoya’s story.
anurag, i agree zoya has shown she can tell a story well. but her choice of story (in LBC) didn’t work for me. i mean everyone knows what happens in the hindi film industry. this story has been told many times before. maybe not as impressively as she has, but it’s an old and retold tale.
i mean, look at sophia coppola. her first movie was also as sensitive (i am somehow reminded of her debut), but she also delighted with her story.
hey, btw i loved the stay on your face in the scene where you agree to dump the word “khoon” :-)
hi sir ji.
u r not my favourite…… but i adore ur work in black friday and no smoking. they have always topped my must watch list.me and my friends are eagerly waiting for gulal from last year and now somwat dev d too………..
i have considered ur views before watching a movie likes jhonny gaddar, aamir, bicycle thief, shining etc etc etc etc………and i have always enjoyed them.
2day went to watch luck by chance…….. in my life this was the first time i have walked out of cinema hall in between …….movie was so boring so so so so so boring that its hard to explain……..title sceening was grt and dat was d only part which i liked….
Anurag
ur positve comments about LBC prompted me to go for it.One of best movies I have seen in recent times.Now eagerly waiting for your DEVD this friday
@Ajay Singh
My Wife’s murder was a good movie.Unfortunately it wasn’t noticed much.Boman Irani has given a good,restrained performance unlike over the top characters in other films
Hello Anurag,
I have seen a standie of your New film. GULAAL.. in cinemax though it is simlar to hollywood poster.. bt it is fantastic… its just amazing… n really creat intrest.. I love it .. n m sure m going to c the movie…
runark
Hey Anurag..
I am dying to watch Dev D.. One its your film.. and more so, it has my new current fav, Abhay deol.. I saw Manorama and it was soo refreshing that I am almost as much in love with him as much with Shah Rukh Khan.. He’s something else..
Since you seem so enamored by Farhan Akhtar.. I better not share my views on how fake n Capitilizing-on-sheer-novelty-without-talent kind of person I find him..
I want to know if you have seen ‘Slacker’ by Richard Linklater (A most Godly movie… Linklater like Tarantino proves thar you dont really need a story to make good cinema).. and if ever you think you could make such a movie here in India, coz if anyone can, Its you.
I am a final year engineering student but It would be the ultimate thing if I could be a part of something like that.
Anurag has by any chance you seen any movies of murali nair?
Dear Mr Kashyap,
I’d like to purchase a poster of Dev.D. Preferably the one where the faces of the lead actors are intermeshed. I think all the posters are amazing and artistic. Please let me know where I could buy them. I want one to decorate my house.
Many thanks,
Best,
Diptee
ANURAG ……..I think SRK did some meaningful acting in LUCK by CHANCE……after a long time,i loved the scene where he says …..its insane,
SRK is wasting his talent doing a whole lot of crappy film,till now…….as you were pointing this year the all the biggies will go for …some creative,meaningful and innovative cinema…
What do you think about SRK,im not trying to put you in a spot here !!
Omg!
I didn’t expect such a reaction to my piece.Anurag,we all know “PAANCH” was ur debut but”BLACK FRIDAY” was ur first release so i’m judging u by that though i believe even “PAANCH” if released would’ve been on that list. “MUMBAI MERI JAAN” wasn’t Nishikan Kamat’s first film,it was “DOMBIVALI FAST”albeit in Marathi.”DDLJ” was 1995,i thought we were talking about the last 10 yrs or so.Agree with “RAAKH” though it is close to 20 yrs old. FUCK dudes i forgot “SEHAR” by KABIR KAUSHIK & “WAISA BHI HOTA HAI PART II” by SHASHANK GHOSH & “SARFAROSH” by JOHN MATHEW MATHAN, SORRY!! “TZP” was good though over rated imo, people confusing the subject matter with the film itself.Anyways my Topic was interesting 2 good 2 best debuts!!!!!! Well since we r on the topic other debuts not mentioned
SHEKHAR KAPOOR(MASOOM)
MANSOOR KHAN(QSQT)
RAJKUMAR SANTOSHI(GHAYAL)
DEV BENEGAL (ENGLISH AUGUST)
NAGESH KUKUNOOR(HYDERABAD BLUES)
VIDHU VINOD CHOPRA(KHAMOSH)
Regards,
Santino
@VASANBALA-did I spell d name wrong?
Mayb it’s Mumbai/bombay bt it’s definately velvet… :-D
did you assit him again?!
ANURAG is too bsy nw to answer…
May b i m too late on commenting but i managed to see Luck By Chance only yesterday! The movie is brilliant not really for the humour aspect of it but the way Zoya has brought ‘Reality’ to the audiences….. Page 3 was in to your face movie but LBC with the under the tones of humour highlights the stark reality of today’s youth.
Farhan Akhtar’s character is that of a struggler who wants to b in this industry not just as an actor / performer but a star. He is willing to give up on his morals, his emotions and everything…… His friend Abhimanyu is a better actor who has made a mark for himself in theatre but according to Vikram theatre is boring and has no value. Its not true, but that’s how our youth has started thinking.
The end of the movie disturbed me not becoz the hero and heroine dont leave happily ever after but coz of the attitude we have. Its definetely upsetting……
But must mention – Anurag Kashyap has only 2 scenes in the film, but u cant forget him till the end of the film. Especially, koon nahi khoon… finally gives up Mein murder kar doonga hahahahahahhahahahahahaha………….. Would love to see you acting often Anurag.
Overall Luck By Chance a must watch
Regards
Vaidehi
hey anurag m a big fan of urs…i m eagerly waiting for dev d….and m so happy tht ur next film gulaal is also releasing shortly…jus like dev d, gulaal too looks gr8…saw some postr at a multiplex…
with respect to LBC….i didnt like it so much….
jus waiting for this friday to c dev d…all d best…
Hey Santosh,
KHAMOSH was not the debut movie of VIDHU VINOD CHOPRA.
“An Encounter with Faces” was his first documentary film. “Sazaye Maut” was his debut film as producer & director. Dilip Dhawan was the hero of the movie.
Hi Amol,
My bad! Vidhu vinod chopra’s film debut was “SAZAAYE MAUT” still 1 of the best debuts ever.I just got confused.Thanks man.
Regards,
Santino
AK..i read in the mirror that DEV D has run into some problems with the multiplex owners …..and that it wont be releasing in the multiplexes but only single screen theatres…….is this a planted story..i am dissappointed with this piece of news ….
I completely agree. I’m very psyched about 2009 for a number of reasons.
I was VERY impressed by LBC. Foremost by its ability to recognize all people are complex creatures battling with their own demons and issues, instead of painting them in broad evil vs good strokes a la Madhur Bhandarkar.
I was also impressed by the subtlety of its satire. It takes an understated look at an OTT profession. The way it managed to carefully toe the line between being inside looking out and outside looking in was a stroke of genius, on par with the way it walked the line between mainstream and…not very mainstream
Among performances, Dimple really hit home for me, along with Konkana and Rishi Kapoor.
Dev.D gets ***** (5 stars) in TOI review. Hurray!!!
Here we go as Kazmi goes ga-ga
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/moviereview/4082878.cms
Somebody shoot Taran Adarsh!
Hi Anurag,
Can you release the uncut version of your movie Paanch on some torrent website(as anyway, its nt going to see the light of the day and rot in cans forever)…so that we can atleast get to see what it wasall about.
one thing I wanna say….u r amazing in LUCKBYCHANCE….please get into acting…wanna see u more. :-)
hi…
just saw Dev.D…..MINDBLOWING…..
best,
Bharat
Just saw Dev.D
Am having a hangover
Another one from the kitsch stables. Dev.D is brilliant. Here’s raising a thumbs-up/coke+vodka to you.
A great start to a wonderful Bollywood(or is it not PC?)year ahead.
use of chest cam(don’t remember one word for it,starts with ‘h’) is a brilliant way to capture an individual’s emotions. i remember using it for a short film that i was involved with..sadly it was never showcased. but i still have the footage.
anyway, dev d. is your very honest and brilliant effort to portray a very melodramatic character in the indian literature. the visuals are brilliant, the color usage is god damn brilliant(psychedelic eh) and the twilight players->wallah!…i remember watching them as an adolescent in talvin singh’s the beat goes on..and sophie ellis baxter’s song(don’t remember name of the track though) the actors have done a good job. abhay as usual personifies freedom,mahi is good eh(she does resemble tabu!) and kalki is well sweet
with all due respect, she should work on her hindi skills. to be honest i find french women very sweet n strong.i mentioned strong? don’t know why! the screenplay is neat. the background score is brilliant. actually does the work of taking the story forward brilliantly.direction, as usual, is very kashyapish :D. that is a good thing.and use of vitamin g in the movie…aah, so very perfect! ;)chunni is excellent! he looks more like a modern day, curry loving son of satan than a pimp :D
the only problem i have with the movie is the script..a few scenes. like the car ramming into a wall when dev is busy picking up the coins.too circumstantial. a few dialogues were forced.
but god damn brilliant work nevertheless. i am going to watch it again-for the movie,for the twilight players and for the inverted and later slanted credit roll.through the eyes of a drunkard! sheer brilliance and hard work. kudos anurag. would love to meet you once- you are my idol in some ways. we shall meet someday
Arohi Chakraborty
cease to brood for we all are a remainder of our experiences…
hey anurag
can you tell me where can i find a copy of paanch?? is it out on dvd or anything?
Hey Anurag,
…been waiting for this for such a long time….nice marketting (website n all), i must say Mr. Kashyap.
Coming frm u that “Zoya ” has made the best debut was a shocking surprize.If i keep “Black friday” as ur debut film , its gonna b a million light years for her to reach there….
ANURAG KASHYAP(BLACK FRIDAY)
FARHAN AKHTAR (DIL CHAHTA HAI)
TIGMANSHU DHULIA (HAASIL)
SHIMIT AMIN (AB TAK CHHAPPAN)
SRIRAM RAGHAVAN (EK HASINA THI)
Kabir Kaushik – Sehar are a few contenders acc. to me.
I might b another cynic but i totally agree with Nirja on her take on the Akhtar clan…..All said n done i just hope Farhan discontinues “OYE ITS FRIDAY”…. its better to drink a litre of Puke than to watch the shitty programme.
2mmrw gonna b an awesome day for me as i m gonna b watch DEV D on the big screen
I do have to admit thie music of this film will b such a bonus for u Anurag…this guy Amit trivedi is simply mesmerising…..Kudos to him….
Mr kashyap b ready for all the awards in ur “JHOLI” n get a lot of DESigner suits:)
Lookin fwd for 2mmrw.
all the best Anurag!!
Saw it 11.30 am show on Friday at FUN REPUBLIC(ANDHERI WEST). Show was 50 per cent full approximately, thatz 50 per cent more than for either”BLACK FRIDAY” & “NO SMOKING”. My biggest problemwith the film was the relationship between DEV & PARO ,not sufficiently well established i thought considering that is the catalyst for his transformation.So i felt the first 1/2 hr of the film was a bit awkward,the film really started working 4 me from the “CHANDA” segment.The 2nd half is excessive & a bit indulgent,too many songs i felt though the soundtrack is good.Kalki’s performance is under rated mainly coz of her dialogue delivery but many forget that she’s supposed to be foreign.Abhay 7 mahi were excellent. The realtionship between Chanda & Dev as the soul of the film.The whole film is a trip to be experienced, flawed but interesting.Anurag is a unique talent,his films a unique experience.Don’t believe the hype or the negativity, watch it 4 urself.
My Rating ***/*****
Regards,
Santino
yeh ankit…rightly put…one jhatka and dev straightens up…but then…theek hai…koi prob nahi…m sure anurag will not compromise on anything in gulaal….
no smoking is ‘mind blasting’…:D…..just blasted my mind!…
Arohi Chakraborty
cease to brood for we all are a remainder of our experiences…
Anurag,
Saw Dev D yesterday and I must say another piece of cinematic brilliance!!!! My only complaint — the last 10 minutes were too commercial (Seems like Sudhir Mishra influence??). However, No Smoking, I must say is a wayyyyy better film then Dev D, not to say that Dev D is bad.. it’s better then any hindi film released in past 10 years. No Smoking is best film in past 10 years.. Dev D comes 2nd..
And yea, Nayan Tarse is the best best best song ever.. I’ve been listening to it since last night on repeat mode.. right now already listening it for more than 1000th time :=)
~kunsjoi
@Anurag…just wanted to tell u that i do not know about the rest… looking forward to Delli 6… but i feel i saw the best that this year will offer last night… DEV D. its amazing how right from the set, the music, the camera work, the acting, the dialogues everything comes together to make such a delightfull cinematic experiences that you cherish and relish. Thanks … and what was wondefull was to see a house full and everyone enjoying the film, the energy was so positive, felt so happy…. and happier that this is gonna be a slap on those so called film pundits…. i know ur intention is not proving anything because u do not need to… but this is a reason for anyone who loves films to celebrate….
Hi Anurag,
Watched DevD…Lovveed it… Have seen the short Black Rider..
Actually that was supposed to be a question…Have u seen the short Black Rider.. ;)
Hi Anurag,
Can you let us know on the status of your debut movie Paanch?
hi,saw luck by chance and liked it,yes it was brutally honest film but most of the people(working with mnc’s) i have met say its not happening.Is it that people after hectic life and schedules want to watch fun movies maybe which are not real but light.
Your interpretation…and Abhays Portrayal…the BEST….
Hi Anurag,
This is perhaps the wrong platform and assuming you moderate the comments… would it be possible to get one particular poster of your film Dev D..? Am willing to purchase it.. and my email id is available with this comment… Thanks for really fantastic movie.
Hi AK
This is just to say I watched Dev D yesterday and was blown away. Enjoyed it thoroughly. Rarely does a film come along that gives you so much food for thought, that the wheels in your head are turning long after the lights come on. A brave thing to do – especially the portrayal of your female leads. I cant remember the last time I saw such a bold comment being made in mainstream Hindi cinema. Kudos sir. May your eternal experiment with the cinematic medium find its rightful place in the sun.
p.s – two thumbs up for amit trivedi
the songs are playing on repeat.
weeeee….i finally recollected the name of the camera…it’s called snorricam! :D….
i want full marks!
Arohi Chakraborty
cease to brood for we all are a remainder of our experiences..
Biju I saw black rider .. recently on you tube.. after Kartik krishnan sent me a link.. i see the point you are making, but that happens a lot in delhi too
Hi Mr.Anurag,
I watched DEV D thrice, back to back in Bangalore, the golden year of Indian cinema has begun ,DEV D , Bala’s NAAN KADAVAL.
Sir congrats. Great Movie.
Anurag,
A question for you….was it intentional that your character in Luck by Chance wants to make her heroine pronounce the word ‘khoon’ correctly, but (in an earlier scene) himself mispronounces ‘phaansi’ as ‘faansi’?
Hi Anurag,
Well, this comment has nothing to do with the particular blog entry but meant to be a request. I am a student of communications from MICA. As a part of my course, I have to write a research paper and I would like to do it on Paanch among other films. I am looking at representation of urban India especially youth through Indian cinema. Is there any way I could have access to a copy of the film.
Thanks
Hi Anurag,
Every time I look at all your work, it bowls me over. I was justreading up on how you came to be where you are today, its truly inspiring that you havent sold out and said “ghar chalana hai” and did some shoddy work.
Anyway, I went to the cinemas to see a new realse on the first weekend after a really long time. Dev D was fabulous. Thanks for turning the story on its head. You really got devdas out of the 1920s and in this mellinium. Loved your take on how Dev and Chanda are a better suited than Dev Paro. Thanks a ton man.
@guru
he wrote shakalaka boom boom, dhan dhana dhan goal etc. . .he’d writn a post bout boom boom
How I hoped that devdas in its conventional form has a different ending.. Am glad you done it..I enjoyed Chanda’s portrayal terribly! Kalki was fantastic!
Those 3 dancers..even better than emotional atayachaar
anurag,
i totally agree with you about UTV being the only ppl putting in their money on movies which wont get big names attached to them otherwise. they did it with RDB, khosla ka ghosla, doing it with dev d and many more to come.
i believe they are the ppl who go by director’s instinct. i hope the others like karan johar give the same independence to their directors and do not create situations to put in their so called ‘lucky’ actors.
anyways going by your words i hope the golden era of indian cinema comes back again.
Congratulations.
– and no im not referring to the ones in the earlier Devdas movies.
Saw Dev.D over the weekend and thought it was nothing short of brilliant. Im no expert – but I thought the sound editing was great, the colors were just right, the jokes were on the wall (even if most of the auntys in the theater didn’t get them) and lastly it was “govt. approved” (sic). And yes how can I forget the art work on the walls in the movie.
Thank u.
Although I did think that there were a few scenes that looked familiar – I would rather believe they were a tribute than a lift
Would love to see Paanch – hopefully someday *they* choose life (their’s not ours).
Hi.
I am surprised that this picture (Dev D) has not been released overseas (UK/US). I think that is underestimating the global audience who like to watch intriguing films even if it means using subtitles. I have not taken the hindi understanding audience into consideration.
Regards.
I really think it would be great if this is golden year of cinema but frankly LBC was not as good as mentioned. I felt there was a lost and found game between the story and protagonist – whoever was it? It could have been done much better. It was nice but not outstanding.
.
So is true for Dev.D. I think it is being overhyped. The second half drags. Dev should have realized his mistake on seeing father’s death and not near that phone booth. It is technically good and shows some brilliant sparks but it doesn’t impress out and out. You can do much better if you can do this much.
Hope your future movies have more universal appeal and blows everyone away *genuinely*.
best of luck.
P.S- this post is well-intentioned
Hey Anurag,
Agree with u totally..I would like you to catch up on these excellent shorts on this link of my friends blog.
http://maibaap123.blogspot.com/2008/10/films-watch-what-i-watched.html
We would love ur comments on the last french one..
Boss, any chance that Devd will get a theatrical release in Denver or anywhere in colarado??
I am not a film watcher, but I was forced into seeing this by a friend who blogged about it here:
http://blogs.outlookindia.com/default.aspx?ddm=10&pid=1517&eid=5
Agree with this post entirely. The film is AWESOME. Yes, clearly the best film of 21 st century. I thought Luck by Chance was great, but this was STUPENDOUS. Now I will watch out for everything else by you.
Anurag,
Loved your cameo in Luck by Chance (and totally agree, Sanjay Kapoor was fabulous too). The Akhtars are clearly very talented! And I hope you are right about 2009.
Sundeep
congratulations Anurag on Dev D, loved the movie
Some scenes were just too good (would love to talk about it, but don’t want to give things away to people who havn’t seen it yet
)
and like azad said, there hasn’t been much international release sadly.I saw Dev D, just before I boarded my flight to houston in Mumbai and I’ve been driving my friends here crazy by talking about it.
DEv D……..dissappointed with it,i went in expecting high standards ,but was thoroughly dissppointd with it……..first of all,it doesnt capture the audience attention,gets long and borring in patches and in the end we get the feelin when will this movie end…..thats too bad for any movie…….the end is predictable……
Anurag it was a good effort but hope to see something better next time around…all the best keep going..
Hey
why dont you write little about your personal life?
AK u ddnt reply me??
hey kashyap,
i thought i should share this with u…have u seen this Vietnamese film called “Cyclo”? it’s damn good…i also saw Russian Ark and The Dreamers…i loved The Dreamers…while i was in mumbai, i managed to see some really cool films..thanks to my brother…he even gifted me Wim Wender’s collection…can’t wait to get back to delhi and start watching it…
hi anurag,
brilliant….
i m watching DEV.D everyday and learning filmaking……..
thank u very much.
Dear AK,
I just watched DEV D and i guess one of the most psychedelic genre of movies to be made in India. The last time I saw such gritty screenplay was in Jhonny G and trust me hats off to u for dev d.. even read abhay deol had to take vipasna for a week..and now i know why::))) I feel the best shots would be the way neon lights of delhi gel with the mood of Dev and the banging drift from vodka shot to zip zap..shots…I would love to know more about ur exp. while shooting dev d)) like different shots and was it more of on-shoot editing??
too long a post..
i loved the movie….
Saw DevD..the songs make so much sense when watching the movie. DevD songs are on my Most Played Songs playlist now…
Quick qn: Does your DOP Rajeev Ravi go by the name Ramu as well ?? If yes, pass my “Hello”.
AK were not the first customer of Chanda in the movie????? If am not wrong?
Dev.D reminds me heavily of Won Kar Wai style of movie making, especially the night scenes, pretty lovely movie, a visual and audio treat in every respect.
@Sukhpreet
Even i kinda was reminded of Wong kar-wai
want to see this in chicago…do something Anurag..
@ honesty
i appreciate your comments but dont you think that dev realising his mistake on his father’s death would have been too predictable. secondly he is too ego centric too realize his misdeeds until he finds himself close to death.
see thats where Anurag is different from all the indian directors. he surprises you. he will do the most unpredictable thing. thats the art.
@ sukhpreet
totally agree. it reminds of wong kar-wai style.
it also have traces of requiem for a dream.
@Anurag Just read that you & Rajeev are coming to US..Any chance to meet you both??
Yes, this is going to be the golden year for Indian cinema .. simply because .. — we’ve two movies from anurag kashyap in two months … waiting eagerly for gulaal …
REQUEST / URGENT!!!!!!! HELP!!! please read!!
WHY is DEV D. not showing at any theatre in Toronto? is it going straight to DVD? are there distributor issues? or is it not having an international theatrical release altogether???? is it just toronto, CAN or other countries too??
I CANT TELL YOU HOW DISAPPOINTED I AM!!! i first saw the promo of DEV D when i went to watch fashion and i vowed to myself that i have to and will watch DEV D in a theatre. but surprise, surprise! it aint running at all. PLEASE, is there something you or UTV can do? i do not want to watch it on DVD, not until ive seen it on the big screen!! im a film student myself and there’s nothing more i love than watching movies in the theatre!!!!!! please help and/or respond!!
@anurag — is paanch releasing in 2 months ??
Queen, It was AK himself in the movie as chanda’s first customer. It was really funny to see him show up in the movie!!! I was laughing so loudly as soon as I saw him.. ppl around me were wondering why :D
yep. even i noticed AK in the screen. of course, you would have to be really attentive to spot him but the beard just gives him away.
great movie, anurag. love the songs, especially nayan tarse.
Hi Anurag Sir…. I recently read that in a show on NDTV u said that Paanch will be releasing in april 09 after Gulaal. It also says that it also had directors like Zoya akhtar n Dibakar Bannerjee… Is it true??? If yes then it cant get better than this… 3 AK movies back to back.. Newayz plz reply soon… waiting eagerly for ur response….. Thanx n regards..
Oh N Btw here’s the link for the IMDB news link in case u wanna have a look…
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0356982/board/thread/130431587?d=130434619&p=1#130434619
hello anurag sir…cngrts on the soccess of dev d….its a madly awesom movie……i just wanna mak a point..how wud it be if u will mak the ndian version of..BRAD PITT’S…..FIGHTCLUB…..nd who r the actors uthink can b justifiable for the respective…roles of brad pitt nd edward norton…pls reply…….regards Nishant…….
Hey Anurag – I am a big fan of yours, that apart we share the same birth year (you are a couple of days older). And you are totally delightful. I was wondering if you would like to have a fling with me. I am a bodybuilder and totally into you. No emotions just fun. No no I am not a wh***. I am doing well in my career and if you’d meet me you’d never guess in a million years. None of my girlfriends do.
Do write back. Email address you have. god bless
Prem
Was’t your interview for Beautiful People on CNBC-TV18 was so boring?? Was it because Anuradha Sengupta was dumbhead???
A happy man after 6 yrs – Now you are not jinxed Anurag :-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaPUeP3k1Po&NR=1
Gulaal looks tempting too :-)
Would appreciate a write up on that Anurag :-)
A happy man after 6 yrs – Now you are not jinxed Anurag :-)2009 is your year COMPLETELY :-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaPUeP3k1Po&NR=1
Gulaal looks tempting too :-)
Would appreciate a write up on that Anurag :-)
Anurag Dev.D is a killer film and makes it to my personal Top 10 favourites!
But tell me why this copy cat stuff?
The poster of Dev.D seems to be lifted from this
http://static.ideefixe.com/images/105/105192_2.jpg
The famous bus scene of Abhay from da Oscar winning 10min short film BLACK RIDER –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFQXcv1k9OM
Wud appreciate ur reply on this one!
sharpshooter.. i saw black rider only when KK send me a link after the first preview and did not take it off because i saw no similarity.. what is there in the film is a common occurence in DTC buses.. there are lot of DTC jokes floating around and this was also one of them.. point of black rider was different, i don’t know when it was made, but that’s a scene i tried to put in each of my film since Paanch.. you can see an alternate version of it in paanch made back in 2000.. i just wanted to do it..
posters are not my call.. if it is a copy, i wasn’t aware of it.. big lips definitely were inspired from luis bunuels poster and that was deliberate.. even gulaal poster was pointed out to me to be from “the shield”.. but when you don’t know in time before it is out , you can’t do much about it..
apologies for that
Bravo Anurag!!
Just read that Dev D collected 8.2 Crore Gross.
Its a HIT!!!
hi anurag sir,
i watched dev d after wating for last six months…i give it at max 3.5/5 stars…i am a huge fan of urs ,especially your writing….this movie honestly was a bit of a letdown…the propagated view about the movie was that its set in modern background and the characters are aware of their sexuality..point taken….the first forty minutes are the toughest to watch but make the best part of the movie…but the line between frankness and obscenity is easily crossed…to prove that paro and dev are sexually attracted …we dont need to see paro saying “baal bahu hain tere” or dev asking for her nude photographs….i mean there r so many things which r real but cant be shown on the celluloid…and too many of those make the movie an unpleasant experience…
but i must admit the scenes with conversations between paro and dev ,both in first and second half are the best scenes i have seen in a while..
pardesi song has been shot with such flair that it keeps u stunned ,it can be done by a master like u…songs deserve a rating of 10 on 5…amit trivedi is the man to watch out for…
but second half kills it all.the raunchy dialogues and mistimed songs appear to be a coverup for the lack of script..and no,this is not how it ends…one incident and he decides to redeem himself..wow after taking 1000 pots and lakhs of drinks…how illogical….
abhay deol is extraordinary and so is mahi gill..she is so natural…kalki is strictly ok…
The only thing this movie lacks is the extra edge in screenplay…found in abundance in “no smoking”
…it still is one of my favourite movies…we want the director of “no smoking” back..
And i cannot imagine to express the effect it has left on me because this space would just not be enough and i know am not the only one feeling so.
Would like to see your veiws on Dev D’s response.
Looking forward to Gulaal and Bombay Velvet.
I want to watch Paanch. Where can I watch it. If these chutiyas don’t pass it , is it fair true fans like us be devoid of what we want?
Dev D conquers the BO,
http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/hindi/article/45095.html
Hahaha, all the people talking about black rider, did they forget Yuva’s bus scene of Ajay & Esha!!!!! :D
Dear Sir,
On behalf the Event Management Committee of Ramjas College, Delhi University, it is our pleasure to invite you to be the Guest of Honour at the “Pladeus ‘09”, the annual college festival of our college on 24th-26th February 2009.
Founded in 1917 by the great educationist and philanthropist, Rai Kedar Nath, Ramjas College is one of the oldest colleges of Delhi. Beginning from the humble precincts of Darya Ganj in Old Delhi, the College today boasts of a spacious campus, state-of-the-art infrastructure and an esteemed faculty of scholars trained at leading universities in India and abroad. Over the past 92 years, Ramjas College has established itself amongst the reputed colleges of the country, including holding rankings as being one of the best colleges in India for the Commerce and Arts streams. In fact, we were also judged the Best Extra-Curricular Coordinating College in Delhi University 2007-08.
We, students of Ramjas College , hold you in very high esteem for achieving such great feats in your field and giving us the motivation to do the same. We understand that it is very short notice, but the clearance for having the event has been passed now and we are trying our level best to make the event a success in such a short time-span. We will also make sure that your accommodation and transportation are well taken care of. It would indeed be an honour for all of us if you accept our humble invitation and share some of your precious time with the students and academicians to enlighten us in a unique way.
We aspire to hear from you soon. Enclosed is a brief description of the event, its history, people behind the endeavour, and some of the esteemed people who have graced the event in previous years.
Yours sincerely,
Event Management Committee Ramjas College Delhi University
For further clarification, please contact
Rhea Srivastava at +91 – 9810778424 (rheaisgreat@hotmail.com)
Kriti Sharma at +91 – 9968877989 (dovesdolphins@gmail.com)
I watched Dev.D for the third time and as luck would have it…i missed the first 5 minutes yet again!…this is really frustrating!
Btw, I noticed a few minor details in the movie. When Dev n Chunni interact face to face for the first time, the word ‘RAND’ is in focus; only when the camera moves in the direction of Abhay and Dibyendu we see the letter G thus making it ‘GRAND’.Also in the washroom No Smoking (reversed) is in the focus. And this is the best one – in the bmw case report one of the victims’ name is Salman Khan. BMWSalman Khan. Bloody brilliant :P… Bhaiyya Anurag, way to go!
Were the last two delibrate? Please reply…
And yeah, saw the trailer of gulaal! Jack n Jill went up the hill to fetch a pale of BHONS*****!! Will watch it for sure! And is it true that PAANCH is finally getting released sometime in April?
Arohi Chakraborty
cease to brood for we all are a remainder of our experiences…
Hi Anurag -
Whilst, I have been able to peruse in a little span of time and on a very cursory basis, your thoughts on cinema and how it is going to be in the year 2009 from a commercial / intellectual perspective and the elements relatable to star-quotient doing good to a particular movie; the real reason for me to be on this medium stems from a recent interview of yours which I saw on TV. Couple of things which you said made real impact. One you said that you have learnt to be less critical of things and started to appreciate the good things.. Second, you said that you have got over your tendency to indulge in a thing whihc you dislike /hate so as to elevate the level of dislike to the maximum; which you have stopped doing!
Trust me, these two elements are so realistic to ensure that a person remains glued to the real intent of the things, rather than spending time in the peripherals. However, you will admit that things like these are also a learning in itself.
Another element, which I heard you say was that you try and cast folks from your team in your movies, which is good from the perspective exposure for the team and good effort to reduce costs.
Just as a background, I am a corporate lawyer in Bangalore! Studied in Delhi and graduated from Kirori Mal followed by a law degree from Faculty of Law, DU. In the recent past during my professional endevour, had an opportunity to work with some big celebrities of the Hindi film industry whom one of our Clients wanted to sign up for brand endorsement. Well this being not just the reason; have been always excited with films and effort which goes behind this. But as you shall know that with middle class, education and stability being the core essentials, there was not much that I could do to extend it. Now, I am settled ok in life and your thoughts on the way you create your films has inspired me to do something more which is different. I would wish to work with you whilst I continue to work on my other legal work. I can also help and assist you on legal work relatable to your work etc which I am sure, you would require. Please spare just 2 minutes on this and I reckon the same would really augur well for me. Many thanks.
hi anurag..
i read all ur blogs.. i am simply spellbound..
just wanted to say ‘After a long time felt like talking to a zinda insan’!!
wish u luck.. my u continue making films like kafan gulal and devd..
sir, i want your email id.i m a great fan of your nd your kind of movie. i m pursuing engineering….but i want to b film maker.
” कंफà¥à¤¯à¥‚ज था उस समय… हद से जà¥à¤¯à¤¾à¤¦à¤¾ कंफà¥à¤¯à¥‚ज था। गंजेरी था और मà¥à¤à¥‡ पता नहीं था कि कà¥à¤¯à¤¾ करना है। कह लें कि दिशाहीन था। मà¥à¤à¥‡ लगा कि फिलà¥à¤® में ही कà¥à¤› करना चाहिà¤à¥¤ जूलोजी की पढ़ाई कर रहा था। जो पà¥à¤²à¤¾à¤¨ थे, उनà¥à¤¹à¥‡à¤‚ थरà¥à¤¡ इयर तक आते-आते धरासायी कर चà¥à¤•à¤¾ था। ”
these r your words…nd these words describe my felling also.and u r one who could give the direction to my confusion.i have some story and ideas…..i want to share it with u …so plz give me your email id….
Hi Anurag! i watched DEV D yesterday(i always keep it late, let all the hype die), i liked it a lot (i am a tough cinepihle to impress),
What i like most! (or retained after first viewing)
—-
1)when dev gets kick and camera starts to revolve-i think it was that nikon wala camera thing (11 fps wala), it was very good. Anybody who have tried any kind intoxiant will perfectly realize whats happening to dev, it is the best visual to express that kind feeling.very well done Man.Simply Great!
——-
2)Characters and casting-near perfect-my fav character was chanda and i watched late night show in a very traditional city Nagpur.People where hooting(i mean making fun of) for any sexual reference. But Chanda made whole theater silent.I could sense that everybody felt sad her plight. Great acting By kolki and that portion really touched me most.Though Audience loved Paro to Core.Theater felt silent when Dev offended Paro. It is amazing. i mean i grew up here and never felt people were so sensitive. I think it was great moment in your direction to let people realize their soft part.
——–
3)Jokes were highly appreciated. Cycle and Gaddi wala joke was the best. But repeat audience spoiled it for me.
–
4)Music were almost another character and i also give credit to you because it felt part of the film and not great BG as separate thing. Great work Amit and Anurag!
—
5)i never seen/read devdas before- but i had conversation with 50 year old theater person and he said it was best devdas ever, more realistic and believable.He said original thing many a times goes overboard with emotions and “Majnugiri”.Interestingly there were few comments among audience like “yar ye bahut jyada ho gaya”(second half when dev goes destroying himself)
–
But i still rank Dev D after Black Friday and No smoking and feel your best work yet to come.
Thank You for Dev D. I guess this is just the begnining, wanna see you make an ‘American History X’ and a ‘Donnie Darko’ a ‘City of God’, even a ‘Fight Club’, a horror movie like ‘Jacob’s Ladder’ and finally a love story like ‘Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind’.
O btw, check this out: www.linearrainbows.blogspot.com
hey saw dev d,just wanna say that u need balls of steel to make a movie like dat in india .hats off n waitin eagerly to see gulal it looks awesome from d promos.as u always come up wid somethin different,so just thinkin wat bout anurag’s version of”into the wild” i loved this movie the concept of movie got so much potential to show on screen n thts also in india ,so many unexplored places in india waitin to explore with a dat kind of storyline..!anways alwz a admirer of ur movies.ROCK N ROLLA ……….!
hey anurag,
heard the track ‘khuda hun main’ after long time.
almost ten years i guess since the promos came on tv.
somehow just felt like sending you the link of few tracks composed by someone who totally loves music.
there are very few people i know who love their work. wont say much. listen to them (specially LOHA) when you get time and reply here if you like them.
http://www.last.fm/music/vishesh/some+of+my+music
Well I have to watch Zoya’s Luck by Chance and I sincerely wish her the very best in all her future endeavours.
Dear Anurag,
First of all massive congrates for Dev D.
When you say Hindi cinema, do you mean Indian cinema? If you do then few names are left out. Many filmmakers are doing a great work -underground- across India. Some prefer to stay out of glamour and limelight. And others are simply ignored by media. Recently I saw some brilliant short films in Cal and in Imphal of all places!! Last November 08, I happened to see VOF (VALLEY OF FLOWERS) in Japan, I believe you worked on it and it is huge success in Japan, S. Korea and Thailand. VOF is the first Indian movie ever to be released by TOHO, the number one company of Japan. That pushed me to discover other films of Pan Nalin. He is absolute brilliant and original India has ever seen. Not only that he is the most ‘commercial’ and ‘mainstream’ director in every sense. Why no one produces Pan Nalin in India? UTV? BIG? PVR?
Pan Nalin is the true SDM story, he was a real life Chai-wala till he was nine years of age. What a journey? I dont know him but I’ve heard and read that Not one person helped him in India. NFDC rejected his scripts. Just imagine if Nalin was Farhan Akhtar’s bro? SDM’ Jamal is fiction but Pan Nalin is real.
What I’m saying is simple, all of you aspiring filmmaker do not get dazzeled or discouraged by Farhan and Zoya and others; they were born in cinema but then people like you Anurag and Pan Nalin are born to create cinema. If Anurga you are changing scene at home, then Pan Nalin is doing it globally -very silently with a whisper. I was recently able to get my hands on to Pan Nalin’s Toba Tek Singh, inspired from Manto’s short story -and believe me its fantastic screenplay ever!
I’ve also heard through the buzz in LA that Nalin’s closley guarded script on BUDDHA is a masterpiece. I dont doubt that when one sees Samsara and VOF. Stars like Gael Garcia Bernal and Orlando Boom are chasing BUDDHA’s casting director in LA. Thus, There are many filmmakers around but My prediction is simple: watch out for Anurag and Nalin: their Best is yet to come.
“anurag ji ab dikha bhi do…bahut wait ho gayi..I know DevD is the next DDLJ..real looove..”
Yes, Anurag, you can go commit suicide now…
Hey DEV D wasnt such a good movie…that it should get 4 stars and such high ratings
First of all the movie lacks emotion for a movie to have an impact on you
DEV d lacks that…it fails to capture your attention,the art of telling a story is absent..FATIH AKIN..edge of heaven,,for eg does it beautifully
I am sure that ANURAG (yourself) himself wouldnt be satisfied with the end product
but anyways it was a effort worth appreciation…atleast Indian mainstream movies are getting better
dear sir, i partly agree with 262 DevD was like an amazing youtube video streaming and stopping and streaming again,(now thats really an emotional attyachar of youtube)but anyways what imean is the emotional connection of the emotionally bruised characters’ were intermittent but whats amazing is this that it still hit,a great movie after all,better than slumdog,crazy neo”something” music and my personal favorite a subtle curt slap on the face of our great decent double standard indian society,and especially the beautiful end it was so conventionally unconventional of DevDas to move on
.this reminds me some Zen guy who said “all great journeys start with a small but kickass step” thanks for given us such a beautiful movie
PS:about making a horror film sir, if it was you who was behind “last train to mahakali” i guess you can make people piss in their pants especially when we are living in a country where a death metal dude says he is a devil worshiper anti-chirst and next moment pics up the phone and says jai shri kirishna mummy ji
wow thanks for the golden work opportunity sir all i can say is can april march?no june MAY.
indeed the golden year of the dark side of moon
This is so unfair, you were always around, with one or two posts a week and loads of replies to comments BEFORE devd was released, But nothing AFTER?!?!?!
:P.. (the trailer on youtube is rocking)
Well I think we can assume that you are really busy with release of Gulal
All the best again
arey..sir, kahan chalegaye? waiting for more blogs…(I know u r really busy….anyhow, guess what, i have a copy of Om Darba Dar, which i’ll be watching today.)
I have a lot of writing to do.. will be back..
will watch dev.d the fifth time….heeehawwww…..just love the twilight players….
Arohi Chakraborty
cease to brood for we all are a remainder of our experiences…
Anurag this is Abijith here, just started filmmaking.. and i’ve made a film. i’ve always found inspiration from you. i want you you to watch it and tell me about it. it’s only five mins long and not goin to take a long time i know your busy but still.. it’s really goin to help me a lot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uvy5_MRlWG0
here’s the link
Thank you
looking forward for Gulal
yipeee…perhaps, u should write a book on filmmaking (i mean considering your style of cinema) like the Moviemakers’ master Class…i just finished reading that one…Laurent Tirard has written pretty good…
Hi Anurag,
I really liked Dev D. Amit’s track was different. He was a music arranger for my short film “Lipstick Dreams” staring Heeba Shah, Ankur Shubnam and Payal. Amit did good job for my film. Give my wishes to him. I lost his contact…Best wishes for your next “Gulal”.
Sunil
how come u never mentioned the fact that u are writing the dialouges for jihaad??? forgive me if u did i dint read the whole thing and i sure as hell dont want to be called a blind idiot!!!!
Hi Anurag,
This is the first time I am writing to you. If you get to read this, I would like to thank you for the soul touching experience I got while watching Dev D. I’ve just come back after watching the night show. I really admire the way you’ve shown dev thinking of paro and chanda while being beaten and thrown on streets. I was actually feeling for the character at that time. All the very best for your future and keep on making such great movies.
Hi Anurag,
I am a huge fan of your movies, and I am one of those people who think DevD should be sent to Oscars! I just love that movie!
Recently I heard about your plans for Doga. Trust me some months ago we friends were just talking about how no indian film director puts his/her hand at ‘reel’izing core Indian animated characters! It was my long standing dream that someone should bring Doga or Super Commonda Dhruv to reel life! and I m really glad that you thought about it and are actually serious of implementing it! Best of luck from my side! I am sure that the film would do really well, and would probably be another “right turn” in guiding the wheel of the indian cinema on the road to kaleidoscopic creativity.
PS: One a somewhat serious note, I think you should probably try someone new for this Doga venture! I think I am ready for the act :P. I used to live and breathe Doga during my younger days, and given my slight resemblance to the animated hero, I could be the “perfect” choice for this flick!
Sorry to go back in time…but i recently watched No Smoking and i am mesmerized…it is easily one of the best films india has seen. the visuals are masterful and brilliant as is the handling of the story. i am amazed and disgusted by the shithole critics who actually bothered to demonstrate their stupidity by calling this movie a failure…i watched dev d before no smoking so i loved it, but no smoking is a far far superior film! can i just say thank you for it…can’t think of anything better to say…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dy-Z5IZsME
This is what we call real rock!!!
Anurag Kashyap,
You are the next best thing happened to Indian movie industry after Gurudutt when it comes to dark movies.
For god’s sake release Paanch before I’d break into your house to still the DVD!!!
P.S. No Smoking sucked!!!
I felt cheated after watching it, I was expecting more enriching climax from the man who made Black Friday and Dev D!
I even tried to understand your point of view by following your lecture videos on youtube of India Habitat Centre, New Delhi with no avail.
Barring this fuzzy piece, you are the next best thing happened to Indian movie industry after Gurudutt when it comes to dark humored movies.
Dev D delivered everything I was expecting it to do…and that happens rarely..I was once so bored with Hindi cinema during 90’s that i stopped going to theatre..then “Kaun” happened and I thought wow..hindi cinema is not dead yet (infact didnt knew ramu looked good ‘cos of you)..Aamir kept making good movies..then Farhan came, I watched the Black Friday, when it was still banned, inside my college campus. Didn’t knew it was you then..cos’ didn’t remembered director’s name..u know many real movies have been made (viz. terrorist, parallel cinema types)..but don’t know where those directors/writers went after that..no regular production..once in a blue moon u get to see a quality movie from bollywood.
now hopefully the trend is changing..with pple like farhan, zoya, anurag basu(metro), you, Abhay, then there is spotboy, utv, many pple i dont know (behind the scene guys), not to forget ranvir, vijay and Rajat as well…they are also doing their bit.
..but to you guys jayda hawa mein mat udna..these are initial days..if u remember where u came from u will never change (i hope u remember this always..infact i need not tell you..sorry!)
need to see ur other movies..to know how much u’ve matured..since Abhay is ur close friend plz usko ye msg de dena …Manorama was awesome..could have been better but story didn’t had more to offer..i knew a star of diff genre was here after watching that.
Great work.. you guys rock!!
keep up the good work and keep the passion going..i think that is the challenge..looking fwd to ur upcoming movies..hope u don’t disappoint…
..i think i will give u 5 movie grace period for the work u have done till now ;)
..by the way, who am i? ..but i sincerely hope u read my comments and wud like to keep fanatics of ur work..
by the way, this one’s for u…check the link…the company that i work in made it…since, all of us are your fans…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59zeTGzJHWg&feature=channel_page
Hi Anurag,
Do we expect seeing Gulaal’s release in NY? The promos surely ignite the curiosity and look really different …Good luck bro..
Anurag Babu.. Genreic name for this blog should be Anurag’s Bug.. I wonder how do you cope with such havoc created(certainly lesser than ramu’s Aag)by your works. I have been travelling a lot so couldnt come across Gulal’s music. Yes, Dev-D music was good. Kahan-kahan se sochte hain log bhai.. Hum to saala MBA kar ke barbaad ho gaye…
Hello Anuragji.
I wish you alll the best for relese of ypur film GULAAL..
Music and lyrics of the film is sooo amazing..
Anurag…tell me something…correct me if i am mistaken….the guy sitting helpless in front of abhay ,after the duniya song, is he a character from gulaal?…..is the character hearing impaired?….
TELL ME!!!!! :D
basshead renegade
-rejection is an erratic film maker’s dope of hope!
for every wrong that conspires…a step is born…
for every wrong that happens…the peace is gone…
one glance in the direction of doom…He calmly lifts His feet…like a harbinger of annihilation…
the ground and His ego meet…
but then again…there is always a white bright ray of hope…
He calmly thinks of our kind…lights up our dope of hope…
you’re jah’s gift to our kind….
you’re here to stay….
for if it wasn’t for you my man Anurag….
i still would have been in dismay….
This is my homage to you Anurag. GOD BLESS YOU MAN.
basshead renegade
-rejection is an erratic film maker’s dope of hope
Respected Anurag sir, I have been searching ur contacts, atleast d blog for a long, 2day I hv gt it..Yahoo ! Sir, no wonder I respect n love ur work..I am 21, an aspiring filmmaker, sadly I can’t pursue the glam degree frm FTII or others like..none takes A.D without tht kind of degree, So, I have decided to make it on my own, no matter how. I am making a film, digitally, my format would b hdv 1080p. my film title is registered i.e. “Yeh Hai Youngistan Meri Jan”.I believe the writer of the film i mean d story n script writer understands the pulse of the film demand bttr thn ny bdy else, so he or she would b able to direct it better.. wht say sir?
I would like to show my work to u, for that what I need to do if u kindly tell it would b great, if I send u a dvd of my film to ur office, will it b done? thanking you, yours faithfully- PSC, Kolkata. if u go through dis post n like to reply my queries thn beyondbarriersfilms@gmail.com
why don’t you try your luck on psycho thrillers…i think so many people would love to watch such kind of movie…it’d be a grand treat.
any hollywood star u dream to work with ?
which political party do you support & why?
hi anurag
i am a big fan of your work.i would love it if u write a blog on the upcoming gulaal. what are ur other projects in the pipeline n when will we get to see paanch?
hi anurag,
do u know anything about abhay’s next project with dev benegal???
Anurag, My boss took her entire family to Dev.D. Then she again took her peer group from work to watch it. In a board meeting when we were all exhausted discussing “recessionary attayachar”, the topic dramatically shifted to Dev.D. Then she told us in that meeting that when Chanda hangs up the phone saying 11 minutes to Chuni, the director was actually referring to 11 minutes by Paulo Coelho. I didnt know what to say, I was so amazed to realize my boss figuring this out. I want to know was it intended that way or there is no relation to Coelho’s 11 minutes. Also why is your cameo so small or did I mistake someone else to be you. I think the person Chanda meets as her first customer is you in a cameo. Please enlighten on these two questions. BTW it was 80% occupied on Saturday when 14 of us went to see the 11PM show. All of us drunk and the junta went crazy about the songs, everyone was repeating the dialogs. We thought we were the only ones seeing it the 3rd time. And the a** hole theatre didnt play Gulaal trailer for the 3rd time. I am all for Gulaal now.
hi anuraag,
its about gulaal. I am not a movie buff. But some movies are different. Gulaal has really made me waiting for release of this movie. The promos, storyline has again increased the curiosity. All the best…………… I belong to a political family from maharashtra. Now, is the election time. if you would be interested to have closer look at the indian politics (i mean a real closer look)just put in a mail. would really like to take you around showing how our democracy works !
People are already raving about Gulaal…I haven’t seen it yet, cos i am a bit biased towards your films. I prefer seeing it in the cinema halls; and if i like it, I’d see it again and again and again, just like i did with No Smoking (thrice – all by myself) and Dev D (five times)…but the sad part is that u haven’t written a single thing about Gulaal in your blog. However, you know what; I prefer learning the filmmaking techniques from reading (as it is, i am more inclined towards writing and i like reading) and watch as many movies as I can. Reading your blog helps me get inspired…I know you are extremely busy, but please do not ever give up on posting your write-ups…PLEASE!
Thanks and good luck…
Hi Anurag,
I have personally penned a couple of scripts and would like to know if you would be interested in directing them. Kindly let me know if we can take it forward. I request you to at least go thro’ my scripts before deciding whether to direct them.
Thank you.
Best regards,
Aashish
Hi Anurag,
I saw gulaal’s preview show last night,and I am still not out of the movie as yet.Its about time people like Piyush mishra, deepak, and abhimanyu singh get the recognition they deserve.
1.I loved the panwallah scene featuring Deepak.
2.Lyrics and vocals of piyush and his potrayal
3. KK with the fire in his eyes
4. abhimanyu for his raw potrayal
5. I also liked Raj singh’s performance
But I have a question for you , Why is there a half painted man running around the house with prithvi? What’s he trying to symbolise……That character is a brain twister
Once again Kudos …..This is surely a golden year for Indian cinema….Keep it up Bro
hi anurag,
today i saw gulaal and i am simply blown out. so many elements beautifully weaved together. use of colours and arts are exceptional. everything is okay. but towards the end i felt the plot has slipped somewhere. because
a) dileep’s frustration about kiran reminds me of devD
b) dileep’s love for kiran is not portrayed to that extent that he is ready to kill anyone who comes in his way.
c) if Mrityunjay is cunning, it should have be shown when kiran tries to seduce him. other way this would have been a hint to the auidence about kiran.
but overall i liked it. a very hard and sincere attempt made creatively. thumps up………
vinod
today my mother saw gulaal.she flln n love with it.consideres it the best,brilliant,path breaking..ahead of time.but came out pissed off.almost empy thtr.those sitting,cldnt understood shitt..talking shitt..she said angrily to me,(in marathi)-’hyanchi layaki nahi’.(they dont deserve this)i said,-’pan tarihi ha aahe towar milat rahanar.’(they’ll still keep getting it,till this man’s around.)
I must say Anurag, I’m extremely disappointed after seeing Gulaal. It’s by far one of your most commercial hindi ventures and there was nothing creative, innovative or ground breaking about this movie. Actually Gangajal, Shiva, and quite a few other movies are way way way better then Gulaal. Actually Gulaal just felt like some B-Grade cinema except for excellent performances by Kay Kay and Ransa. I didn’t expect such a movie from the director of Black Friday Or No Smoking.
Overall, the first thing that came to my mind after seeing the movie was “Anurag has sold out.. to those big f**king corporates”. Very disappointed. I’ve always thought of you as the Takashi Miike of Indian cinema and now you are just becoming one of those directors. The day is not far when you will direct a Yash Raj films movie with Actors and Actresses singing and dancing around the trees. I hope you get back to making those weird surreal No Smoking/Dev D type movies. Don’t fall into this mainstream trap!!!
~ a very concerned Anurag Kashyap fan
kunsjoi,this is confusing,-’commercial hindi venture?’ gulaal??? shiva,and gangajal are better?..yashraj films one step ahead?
tat sounds something like- ‘i hate crows,cause i hate their blue colour,why arnt they black?’
Anurag,
Loved Gulal. Am now officially your fan. Please have a regular blog where we can continue to communicate with you.
Love
Surga
Anurag,
Phenomenal stuff. Please keep going. However hard it may seem. You and your life are an inspiration. You are truly the artist of our generation.
Best wishes for more mind blowing movies. I wish I could personally communicate this to you but I hope you read this comment and know that you have set fire to the millions of people out there.
Love love love your work.
Keep going and come back to these messages when you are down and out.
Cheers
the previous comment was after watching gulal. great job!!!been a day and still thinking about it.
undoubtedly a year 2 look ahed for..buh highly disapointed wid stufz lyk CC2C n DELHI-6…ewww..(mithunda’s LOHA n GUNDA wer wayyy betta thn ‘em!!)
..newayz juz read d 299th coment..n i feel sir “GULAL” z an amazin flick..espcially d songz by piyush mishra..(juz love d YEH DUNIYA track) and wa2 say bou d actin& yo direction…LOL!!..evn yo special appearence..hehaha..!”hEll here democracy bEEr rokd!!..cheerz..keep entertainin us sir…yo kinda cinemas fun-tastik!
n yea juz read yo whole colum bou d year 2 look ahed….
m definatly nad w8in for flix which * shahid kapur n harman baweja…LOL!! altho i myt risk 200buks for kaminey coz of Mr. vishal bharadwaj…
newayz..nw m w8in for PAANCH,BOMBAY VELVET,KITES and a SEQUEL 2 DEV D..:)!!
My last comment was m for moderated..
Probably coz I used the c word…
c is for crazy by the way!
I swear to be more politically correct hereon.
As I look forward to the cinematic year-2009,
with Dev.D being the benchmark…a s for “sweet” film made by some s for sweet guys.
(P.S. Hope this one gets approved and uploaded)
Hi Anurag, Gulaal…. gave me the same feeling that i got a few years back when I was watching Shool, Lawless rulers and innocent victims… But a major difference that I got to see was the audience reaction. Not that I went to a standard posh multiplex, but deliberately landed in a still existing single screen theater in Mumbai. For Every swear word the audience would burst into a big laughter, the same audience which otherwise on the streets would have accepted the same language with an effort. They were not at all ready to relate the story to their lives. Whenver Prithvi Banaa and his ardha naari accomplice would start something audience would start “Arey yeh kaun hai, neela rang daal ke aa gaya, kya bakwaas hai yeh, aise bhi kabhi hota hai” People with their wives, walking out half-way through the cinema. Is that because unknown actors were presenting it or just that the masses are not ready yet. Was very disturbed at this. I actually found that the film had all the essentials that should satisfy the masses as well as elite classes.
Should people be taught how to watch films?
Film Appreciation courses in schools?
Does anybody second that?
@Amit.
Nobody can teach anyone to watch a film. What you observed in the simple lack of sensibility and sensitivity in a crowd, which has been drugged by overdosage of no-brainers in the cinema hall. Appreciation of good cinema, or any art is the result of the collective improvement in the awareness level of the society. As long as we dont care about whats happening on the streets, how would we care whats happening on the screen, we would be a non-indulgent audience who will make out-of=context remarks, like the one you observed.
Some might have genuine concerns of children being exposed to affecting imagery and language, even though I dont subscribe to it, it is their children, their choice.
@Amit
By ‘no-brainers’, I refer to the ‘Leave your brains at home’ cinema, which is the product of 80% mainstream cinema
hi anurag
there is no doubt that u r a brilliant filmmaker.have seen all ur films except of course paanch[sadly unreleased]and no smoking.saw gulal over the weekend.i love movies on student politics and so it was eagerly anticipated.the presentation was awesome and acting fabulous.kaykay,aditya piyush raj abhimanyu were all marvellous.but i am intrigued about your interpretation of the climax. dont u think it gives a feeling of victory of antagonists overprotagonists.why was there no redemption w.r.t.aditya’s and ayesha’s character.i find it ironical that u tweaked dev d to make it a happy ending devdas[it was a brilliant movie i thought] but kind of make a devdas out of our protaganist raj in gulal. i know u r a great director and so i am sure u must have a meaning to portray regarding the end.if u could take trouble to explain the same it will be greatly appreciated.also what next r u making.
Hey Anurag, can you change this blog so that we can organise our fan comments properly, not necessarily after some post u have written… pls….plsss…becuse we have so much to say but may not be directly relevant to the post… we love u.. luv u and just want to express ourselves…….
Absolutely an year to look out for. But they will be mixed with those with totally new ideas as well as those who have a different way of story telling, even they topics might not be pathbreaking. Your movies, I presume, lay a lot of stress of relationships and how each’s way of life/circumstances affects others’.
I have heard that in 2009, there will be many movies which go into present/future. Already 13B has been released, then there are movies like Akshay Kumar’s 8X10 tasveer. Now how do these guys make movies relating to same theme? How do they come to know of it? I dont think they all thought about making movies on same themes together. Something similar to four Bhagat Singhs.
Dear Mr. Anurag, I’ve just seen ‘Dev D’ at last! It’s very original, much different from the usual Hindi films. Ok: I think you collected an ocean of compliments for your work. What I want to say to you is: THANK YOU FOR SHOWING IN DEV D A NOVEL WRITTEN BY A GREAT ITALIAN AUTHOR, ‘CONTEMPT’ BY ALBERTO MORAVIA!!!!!! Everytime my Country is mentioned in a Hindi movie I feel SOOOOOOOOOOO happy!!!! Thank you again (but why did you choose that novel?).
Ciao!
Celeste
Hello Anurag
watched Gulaal today..liked it much more than Dev D
According to me it should get more popularity than the former though i don’t know what good it’ll do..cause we all know we see..corruption, selfishness is every phase of our life…don’t have to go far..it prevails very strongly in our day to day life also…i’m desperate for a change
I always want to know why do u make movies like this….for box office..or do u believe showing the ugly truth will change anything or there is anything else that i can’t perceive ?
Plz reply
Also i agree with niseeth kr ‘i find it ironical that u tweaked dev d to make it a happy ending devdas[it was a brilliant movie i thought] but kind of make a devdas out of our protaganist raj in gulal’..hahaha
Also i agree with niseeth kr ‘i find it ironical that u tweaked dev d to make it a happy ending devdas[it was a brilliant movie i thought] but kind of make a devdas out of our protaganist raj in gulal’..hahaha
I have so many problems with this movie…but then, life n people can be like this…pathetic
Anurag!
you are the greatest director I could see in bollywood. I watched Dev D and was fan of the cinematography and direction, watched Gulal for the second time today, and I know that I will watch it atleast 4 times again and again and again(and again…yes 4 times).And I promise you I will never go for a pirated copy of it.I shall never lend my DVD to any of my friends lest they copy it.
First time I watched the movie I was swept away. everything in gulal was exceptional..lyrics,music,story,dialogues,sets,direction,acting…everything.
I lived in Madhya Pradesh and a fan of Piyush Mishra. congrats to him too for such a great creation.it really takes a lot to write such good lyrics and keep it simple hindi…and what a classic role of prithvi banna.
I am not a film scholar but would like to aska few questions about my interpretations of the symbols used in Gulal.
1) Wasn’t there a “CROSS” in hands of the Raja’s potrait in the background of the song “Rana ji”?did it symbolized christian fundamentalism?
2) Wasn’t there a symbolic connection of david’s five pointed star(symbol for zionist movements) shown in the end in the form of the neon light on the roads when Dilip Singh was going with a gun,wearing that army helmet on his motorbike?
3) When Dukki’s wife ask him to open a box of sindoor which was already opened, wasn’t she imagining herself to be a virgin and asking for sexual pleasure from her husband.
4) I am confused about ardha nari.
I hope I am making sense :-|
thanks.
Anurag sir,
I too hope that this year turns out to be the golden year.. but pls do tel us when are u starting BOMBAY VELVET ??? I’m dying to watch it!
Sir i noticed in ur previous films (No Smoking and Gulaal) that u had not released their music much before the release..[Dev.D of course is an exception.. its a musical n music must grow on audiences before release.. n i did!]…. No Smoking’s music was released some 20-22 days before the release of the film and same with Gulaal.. is it a conscious decision to do so..??
Anurag sir…
Can u pls make the review of No Smoking (by DEREK MALCOLM) available for me… i searched a lot but couldn’t find it. I really want to see what has he written… Can u pls mail the link to me.. my email id is abhijeet1029@gmail.com…..
Sir u had told us that u will make a separate post for the movie GOMORRA n write something about it which u watched last November in London…. if u get time then pls write something about it.. i’m excited particularly for that film..
Just watched Gulaal today. If Dev D was 10, Gulaal is 10.5
Its 4:30 in the morning and I still can’t get over the movie.
Luck By Chance was an absolute treat to anyone who loves Hindi movies. It would have been a major hit had Dev D been released two weeks later.
Come on Anurag, you should own up the unfortunate cannibalization
well there have been many golden years in cinema, this year could be too.
have watched luck by chance but not at all impressed by the film with a predictible story and stero-typical representation of the film industry. i was surprised u rating it as the best debut in a decade!!! too strong a statement.
luck by chance doesn’t come close to dil chahta hai, which was so original and a film that was a landmark in changing the “indian” style of cinema.
another remarkable debut was taare zameen par by aamir khan.
luck by chance is hugely over-rated. it does have good performances but as a narrative it fails to deliver.
coming to this year being a golden one for indian cinema or not, well i saw Gulaal and it was the first film of this year i was impressed with. for me the unsung hero of the film is Abhimanyu Singh playing Ransa. he was just terrific. havent seen such a powerful performance in a long long time. for me he sets the tone of Gulaal. ofcourse the other maestro in the film is Piyush Mishra. i m glad u make films with such talent. actually i was totally depressed by the fact that a person with ur sensebilities could cast John Abrahim in No Smoking and Abhay Deol in Dev D, whereas i personally believe that Kay Kay would have pulled off both the characters with panache. i haven’t seen Dev D only because i dont find Abhay a strong enough actor. i would not like to judge a book by its cover, i will watch and definately reply. but abhay as an actor has only made intelligent choices of films. his performances have never been out of comfort zone.
keep up the good work such as Black Friday and Gulaal.
best wishes
-sahitya
Hi Anurag,
Myself Ankit (from Gorakhpur). Last week I saw Gulal. It was the best movie of this year so far. Other than the performances of Abhimanyu Singh, Kay kay and Piyush Mishra, I liked the lyrics of the songs especially “dur desh ke tower mein”,.
It’s a masterpiece movie.
dear Anurag sir, I would like to request u to start a topic that will cover the filmmakers within PFC who r currently making films that will ensure all of us about our fellows films and we will be updated by that..”Word of Mouth” will be done that way. So, plz start at topic titled like that. thanx n regards..
ANURAG SIR, no wonder m a big fan of urs. I want to show my work to u..I just want to know ur view nothing else really..so, may I send my dvd to ur office? If u plz allow me to do then only. Love u..n respect u..god bless
Can you tell me when will Paanch release???
dear anurag,i am amar dayal singh.kya tumane apana email id mujhe bhej sakate ho?ek important story ke baare me tumase baat karana chahata hoon.maine devd aur gulal dono ko dekha.anurag tumhare direction style kaa main jabardast fan hoon leki ky atumane zidd kar lee hai ki kahaniyan sirf bollywood ke aasapaas se hi loge?nahi anurag bollywood se bahar bhi kahaniyan hain.chand lamha to nikalo unaki taraf dekhane kaa jo story kaa godaam samete baithe hain.ek sashakt kahani to real life ke mahino se mere paas padi hai .tumhare paas waqt ho to batana us kahani ko mail se bhej doongaa.
this is my email id—asamardayal12@gmail.com.please send soon your email id.
Hi anurag!I’ve been googling for ‘Anurag Kashyap’ and ‘Piyush Mishra’ only ever since I saw GULAAL.Before gulaal,I just heard your name and piyush mishra was an unknown name to me but Post-gulaal ,I feel Anurag kashyap is one of my most favourite directors and Piyush Mishra,a highly multi-talented personality.
GULAAL!OH MY GOD……What a movie…what a movie…!!!I watched gulaal about one month back but still it’s scenes ,dialogues,songs play in my mind.The comments and references on India & The condition of society;the poetry of piyush mishra all remain with me all the time.Every actor,it seems ,gave his best to the movie and that needs a director like anurag kashyap to extract those performances out of them.I would specially like to congratulate kay kay menon(perhaps ,he is one the best actors in the industry today),Abhimanyu Singh(Ransa)-What a portrayal of a fearless,defiant rajput,his portrayal is as close to reality as it could be.I can say that since I am a Rajput myself and Finally,Piyush Mishra(unforgettable acting ,great….great….great lyrics,singing and music.).If I can remember something from my hindi textbooks ,’Aarambh hai prachand’-Ek Veer ras ki kavita hai aur ‘Jab Shahar hamara sota hai’-shayad vibhats ras ki.I loved the poetry and songs of gulaal-another reason for it could be that I am a poet myself and Thus I understand the anger ,feelings and emotions that the poet must have had while writing those songs and poetry.Also,I can better understand the beauty with which he has expresesed everything in his dialogues,poetry and songs.
Last but not the list,You deserve thousand hugs from every true indian cinema lover for this movie.Every scene is so expressing and strong that those scenes play in my mind whenever I think about the movie(By now,I have seen it thrice-though I never watch any movie twice). As they say that cinema is a director’s medium and ‘Gulaal ‘ really is a masterpiece as a movie,as a medium of expression of/by Anurag Kashyap.
I saw your post on Gulaal and I would really like to congratulate you that inspite of so many roadblocks and problems you finally made GULAAL which for me is one of the best movies I’ve ever seen.People like you are going to be the future of Indian cinema.I don’t know why but somehow I feel that you are different from many other bollywood celebrities who don’t care much about their fans and that you care about every single comment on yourself and your work.I hope it turns out to be same as what I believe.Would love to be communicating with you in the future as well.
Vikas Singh Songara
vikas.songara@yahoo.co.in
vikassinghsongara.blogspot.com(Started blogging recently though I have been writing poems for long)
One more thing anurag!Even I would agree with comment no.310 by nisheeth that The end(of gulaal) was a bit not digestable.It was the victory of bad over relatively good.Was it that the plot slipped in the end OR is there anything else that I am not able to get (that you wished to symbolize through it).Also,Please clarify what the character-Ardhanarishwara symbolized?
One more thing please(Please don’t get irritated),I’ve written a sort-of-review of movie GULAAL on my recently started blog ,You can have a look if you get time.My blog is at http://vikassinghsongara.blogspot.com/.Hope you read it to encourage me.
Anurag.. Maybe I’m over analyzing, but one of the scene’s in DevD with Paro and Dev seemed like a lift from “Moth Smoke” by Mohsin Hamid. Even the situation is similar. In MS, the main female character who is married to the protagonist’s friend, tells him that he should give up heroin, as somethings are too good and they make you feel like nothing else is good enough (I paraphrase).
Comments?
Saw Dev D. again last night and found some interesting references to Gulaal. The obvious one being the song written by Piyush Mishra for Gulaal (rana ji)playing in the background (maybe on radio) when Dev wakes up in Chanda’s room for the first time. The second one is more subtle and more of a director’s fancy to link the two films in a surreal setup. in the scene where Dev goes to drink and is thrown out, we can see Gulaal’s protagonist sitting at another table (specks tied with laces and all ready to go on his climactic rampage).
I will see Dev D again after watching Paanch, maybe something new will spring up.
–Copyright Sucks. Hail Copyleft.
Disclaimer: I just mentioned two as i spotted those two only. there might be more.
Mr. Kashyap will always have some connection to No Smoking in all his films just by showing a lit cigarette (a joint in case of Dev D.)
–To capture a burning cigarette on screen/stage is the most romantic thing i ever did.
Anurag Avant-Garde Kashyap,
a promising year indeed.. first it was Zoya Akhtar’s wonderful Luck By Chance, followed by a masterpiece hindi celluloid seen in a very long time- Dev D and then powerful Gulaal..you are having one hell of a year! bravo man!