Really lucky! Good times for Indian cinema!
iView Author: Magik (Bangalore, India)
Email: magikworx [at] gmail [dot] com
After reading Navdeep Singh’s OLLO review & various other such reviews of promising films, as an aspiring film writer I really feel very lucky, lucky oye! The changing landscape of Indian cinema is inspiring everyday storytellers. Every writer worth his nib is penning something and optimistically hoping to see his / her work on celluloid. The boundaries are soon vanishing & what is emerging is an internet-like film world where everyone is free to do or make what they believe in. A klassik case in point being KRK’s Deshdrohi. No I am not gonna bash KRK here, that dude sure has balls of steel.
In the past 2 years of being in Bengaluru, thanks to PFC i have always felt like I am sitting in the hub of Indian cinema, despite my geographical dislocation. All the views, opinions & perspectives are so diverse here but they are all dripping of one thing that is passionforcinema. I hope this revolution churns out storytellers with last names that have nothing to do with chopra, johar, kapoor etc. Just a decade back, the industry was so closed to outsiders and look at it now, it is populated with people from so many walks of life.
There’s a filmi friend of mine, let’s call him D, who spent 3-4 years in Hyderabad film industry as an Asst. Director and cuz of the scenario then prevalant, he had to make a frustrated exit, despite having written 3-4 brilliant stories (so he thinks) with nobody to hear. And now it has become my job, to get him out of his despressed state of mind & encourage him to write or make films. I have got him into becoming a regular reader of PFC and hope & pray that he gets back to the only thing he thinks he knows best – MAKING FILMS.
Here I would like to quote from a book that I am reading ‘STAY HUNGRY STAY FOOLISH’ by Rashmi Bansal
“I always feel very sorry for people who worked in Indian corporate sector from 1956-1991. They could have been such bright fellows but they were stifled. What could they do? We are lucky and we have to ride the crest of the wave.”
This quote almost holds good for the Indian film industry too!
And then there is me. A rookie ‘Johny came lately’ heavily inspired by The RGV of yore. When I first looked at RGV’s pic, I was repelled. I thought if somebody as ugly can get into films, so can I. Well, now when I think of it, it sounds ridiculously immature and outright stupid. But that was me, just out of school, just into college with a very limited exposure to films as well as the film world. Before the advent of cable TV. When fodder for Oz Bhai’s ‘Torture Series’ was being churned out, by the dozen.
Today, I look at cinema in a way that is diametrically opposite to the way I was back then. I don’t look at the industry as a place where only good-looking & affluent people hob-nob with each other. I think I am more aware and thanks to my filmi friend ‘D’ I have seen my share of world cinema too (Motorcycle Diaries & Central Station being my current favs.). I have come to appreciate writers, filmmakers & other talented people behind the scene & not just imitating & worshipping SRK’s stylish charms right from DDLJ to KKHH & K3G. How dumb was I.
I am seeing more & more people appreciating & respecting filmis. Like in the OLLO promo when Paresh Rawal asks AD “Aap film line se hain?” There is so much admiration in his eyes… I feel elated. Once upon a time there was the ‘casting couch’ business which had gotten me to think that everyone in films f*** each other. Now I can see it more objectively. As a choice of profession that anyone can make and live a normal life (well almost). That’s when I made the choice. Of being in films. Of being a film writer. Or atleast try being one.
This was cemented when I read about the ISC 08 & sent a mail asking how do I get to attend it. The co-ordinators have been really kind and hell, very soon I am gonna be breathing the same air like Javed Akhtar saab & other such legends. Can’t express how excited I am. I will be getting a membership of the FWA and i will be walking on the clouds. 2-days among the gawds & gadwd’s dads of screenwriting… BLISS.
Will have to stop now. Monster boss reminded me that I am a copywriter. Just as yet.
F*** all else. I am feelin’ lucky! Lucky oye!
P.S.: I verbatim reproduce here an sms sent to me by my distraught bro who watches every movie that releases. Every movie ok.
“Bhai, dont dare to watch Yuvvraaj ever, even if you were offered free popcorn & a BJ. It sucks, In comparison, Ek vivaah is miles ahead. Pathetic.”
I REST MY CASE.
Tags: Oye Lucky Lucky Oye
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
Hey buddy!! Thanks for putting down in words what could only float in my minds sky and block my daily sunshine of peace and joy! The world has changed. We, the peasants, needn’t revolt for no reduction of taxes on our cotton. We can make our own movies on our sony handycam and we shall edit it on our own (pirated? so what?!) copies of movie editing software..but creativity has been leashed for too long and if anything it needs to set itself free…So, let’s make films – half a minute, 10 minutes or never ending pieces of shite like Yuvraaj! But let’s just make ‘em. There is sooooo much to say. There is so much more to show!
yo bro… we gotta make ‘em all!
on bulls eye bhai.. a usual a great assesment of the total scene.. hope to see ur work translated as a movie asap.. amen..
ps; yuvraj is actually more disgusting than one can ever fathom. please stay away..
jiyo bhai !!
Hi Magik,
Really, the changing landscape of Indian cinema is inspiring everyday storytellers. You are absolutely right. The bundaries are really vanishing & internet also emerges as another film world where everyone is free to do or make what they believe in.
SO MAKE WHATEVER YOU WANT TO MAKE…….FEEEL LUCKYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY ;)
this guy has an an endearing penchant for writing.
another Brilliant piece of writing by keyrun rao….
All the Best keyrun and God Bless You!!
keyrun rao’s confession
so copywriter finally spilled his guts about his affair with cinema.
God bless u bro..Rock..on!
Good Luck Magik…jeeyo..
Cool Post! Welcome to the Huge club of Aspiring screenwriters!
Thanks to y’all for the love & enkouragement. Will write another post once am bak from ISC 08. Till then – STAY FILMI!
“Once upon a time there was the ‘casting couch’ business which had gotten me to think that everyone in films f*** each other.”
LOL Magik. U have mirrored my thoughts
Hope to see you at the ISC ‘08 Magik. I like ur writing style!
magik, soon u’ll be hearing from a production house. i hope u hv got the required stuff. God bless.
Whoa! today’s my lucky day i guess! fingers crossed.
You are the second guy (Sorry but true) after OZ bhai, whom i love to read…trust me, the industry is poised for exciting times and its the time when the script writers / film makers must not only keep pace with the generation, but also anticipate them.
I am sure you will be able to draw that thin line…Rock On !!
Ashu
Magic Rao ,sahi!!!
very Inspiring post
@ shekhar,
check ur email.
Hey ashu, u made my friggin day. second after oz bhai bole to i feel like a king already! Zahey naseeb! do remember to check out Oz Bhai doing wut he does best on desi train. dis one’s about his life with a mac pc. hillarious post.