SLB & Saawariya: Oppression of Opulence
First, a lot of firsts. The first teaser of Saawariya (saawariyafilm.com) is out. This is the first Indian co-production of Sony Pictures. This is the first film of Rishi Kapoor’s son Ranvir Kapoor and Anil Kapoor’s daughter Sonam Kapoor. And it is being billed the first international film from India.
Oh, I forgot – it’s a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film. The man who debuted with Khamoshi, went on to make Hum Dil De Chuka Sanam, Devdas and Black. Bhansali means a lot of things to a lot of people. For some he is modern Indian cinema’s only auteur, the only cinematic progeny of Guru Dutt, the only star director of our times. For others, he is a big ball of shit who disguises everything in grandiose but fake sets and copy-pastes other cinematic treatments calling them his own.
Well, the way I look at him, and the entire purpose of this post, is that Bhansali is being forced to do what he is doing. Now why do I say that? His first film Khamoshi, despite some great moments and performances that still stay with you, flopped. He did try something different. A film about physically challenged people, a mute Nana Patekar, a very different love story… It must have been a major heartbreak for the man who had set big benchmarks for himself.
Then came Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam – hawa ka jhonka. Pure unadulterated passion punctuated with a great musical score and again the career-best performances of all three leads. The film worked with the critics, made money at the box-office, Dholi taro became an anthem and Bhansali was in business.
Now, he had to get into Mughal-e-Azam territory. The K. Asif film, besides the Guru Dutt staple, had moved the young young Bhansali so much that his tryst with celluloid couldn’t be fulfilled without a tribute. He planned to remake Devdas, which despite having been made more than 15 times was synonymous with the Bimal Roy version on screen. The only way Bhansali could have matched it or surpassed it was to rob it off its simple ways and make it into an epic. Enter the coloured wall motifs, the multi-crore sets, the 10 kg saris…
I remember my father telling me that it was only for Mughal-e-Azam where people had gone to see the sets and the cinematography more than the film. Even the poster looked the same. Dilip Kumar caressing Madhubala with a feather. Here Shah Rukh was caressing Madhuri with a wine glass. Bhansali had achieved his dream. He had made an epic. Good, bad, ugly, it was grand and it was popular and it garnered all the best director and best film awards. He had found his formula.
Next, the man planned another visual epic, another period piece Bajirao Mastani. But before he could spend the crores on that, the cast got all messed up and he couldn’t make it. He decided to make a “quickie” called Black. And it was here where he got sucked in. Bhansali figured out that he could no longer make anything small. He no longer needed to shoot songs to blow up 20 crore rupees.
He justified the beauty of the Black frames by saying that look at what the blind girl is missing. He was lying to himself because he had forgotten how to make a simple film. Mozart has to play on the sets, one corner has to be spotlit, he has to have wet hair whiplashing his forehead, he has to look mad on the sets… he has to be the gum-chewing cinematic genius, god’s gift to Indian cinema.
So if and when you look at the Saawariya promo you will realise the disease plaguing Mr Bhansali. Yes, each frame is a picture postcard, where you will get seduced nine times out of ten. Rain, snow, hail, storm, the shots look magical, carefully picked so not to reveal the debutants’ faces.
But are movies only about mise-en-scene? Do great shots make great movies? I remember Ray saying in Our Films Their Films, that while making Pather Panchali he realised that a beautiful frame (of Durga) can ruin the entire sequence. And here we are talking about only beautiful frames.
Bhansali is, however, not the first director to have got sucked into this look-at-my-frame syndrome. Chinese director Zhang Yimou who started out making such spectacular films like The Road Home and Raise the Red Lantern stopped making those intimate portraits once he got a taste of the grandiose. Hero, House of Flying Daggers, Curse of the Golden Flower… if you take the visuals off, the carcass is unpalatable.
In many interviews to the same journalist, Bhansali has claimed how he has returned to innocence with Saawariya. Well, if the promo is anything to go by, sorry SLB you are still stuck in the oppression of opulence. And it will tough for you to check out.
Tags: Bengali, Chinese
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Dibakar Banerjee
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Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
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Pratim, I fully agree with you. It just looks so much like Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, opulent, and full of “money”. Substancewise, it seems very uninteresting.
hey pratim
ah, beautiful. a very well written critique of the man and his descent into commercialism. finally a piece that approaches a subject with sanity without descending into crassness.
Pratim,what if this opulence really enhances the experience of innocence when the film is released?
i cant understand why do people have to criticise.do you want SLB too to do what the others are doing?If he does that Im sure that he would be criticised then too.
Thanks so much Hemang and Vinay… feels good to know that you understand my point… That you agree is a bonus
@krysh it might work for people, like devdas and black have… but personally I am not one for opulence enhancing innocence
@manoj it’s not about criticising Bhansali’s work… it’s about going through a director’s filmography and tracing the path he is treading… one can do the same for everyone from Almodovar to Sanjay Gupta… if you just look at the Bhansali films you will realise that he has not been able to go back to the innocence of Kuch na kaho which he had directed in 1942 or Bahon ke darmiyaan in Khamoshi… now more than the passion it’s about the light and shadows, the blues and reds…
firstly another very nice article pratim, its always entertaining reading your views and the way you put it forward.
but just one thing, according to me bansali’s style of film making is very visual. i think it in some indistinct manner resembles wang kar wai though you hardly ever have such grandeaur in a wong kar wai film.
now the reason many people dont like slb is becuase they are not excatly fans of such visual film making.
personally i dont hate his films but am not as hyped about his films as som people.
lastly one thing you like slb or not one has to admit is he is the best we have when it comes to commercial “bollywood” films.
p.s- is sawariya in any ways based on raj kapoor?
I feel everyone should make different kind of movies so that the audience is not bored with the same stuff over and over again. Big opulent movies are loved by one and all and if they are made properly, then whats the problem with that. If everyone makes starts making a simple movie like Bheja Fry, then Bheja fry would not have been the movie that it became.
Atleast Bhansali makes much better movies than, say a Karan Johar, who repeats the same cast over and over again doing the same crap. I feel the only movie Bhansali went wrong was Devdas, apart from that all his movies are good. I still don’t know how the folks (who feel that their cinematic intellect is out of this world) hate Black. For me it was as good as a RDB. Every normal person that I met liked Black, not even that, when the screening was over, people stood up and clapped. (Which was a first for me).
So I felt that people whose only motive was to criticize Black (or for that matter any normal good movie) did so to make them feel better or great or whatever.
BTW…saw Heyy Babyy and it was a headache :-)
Guys,
Please don’t criticise anybody’s work just on the first looks of it without doing any research on what are those motifs of each of those scenes which you saw in the promo. Each scene is a sheer revelation of his artistic genius. Much of the promo is in green palette signifying peacock’s color. The peacock in Indian folklore art is symbolic of an absent lover. It is used as an idiom extensively in Hindustani classical music especially dealing with love between Radha and Krishna. I found some scenes and props in that promo metaphorising the love folk tales of Radha and Krishna. Perhaps, you will only notice this if you have a trained eye to watch classical dances like Kathak. And mind you…Bhansali is a trained Odissi dancer. He knows what he is doing in each and every frame. How many of you noticed the last scene in the promo being a tribute to Nargis and Raj Kapoor from Barsaat under an umbrella. You can’t watch a Bhansali just on the looks of it. Come out of what is obvious : ’so-inanely-termed-visual splendour”..who hardly have knowledge of Indian classical art and look within!
I dont think Black was a great piece of Art.. Black for me was for the performances that were.. not for the director’s vision.. (for that check out “the Miracle Worker and you know how much effort Mr. Bhansali has put in).. anyway I am not to keen on SLB’s flicks as for his obsession in gloss than content.. Check out Black.. where Amitabh’s blackboard was filled with characters actually painted on that rather than the chalk in his hand (just for the sake of beautifying that object).. Or Devdas climax where the red color leaves of the tree were more prominent than Shahrukh when he was dying.. Beautiful colors for sure but not my kind of cinema..
i dont have any problem with SLB’s cinematic style ..to each his own but he’s not some genius, infact he is a very ordinary filmmaker. there are superior filmmakers in our country .
and to answr suketu ,wow what work of art!!..and how ignorant of us mere mortals not to understand it !!…but we being what we are , we will pass a judgement and thats – the promos suck ! and only hoping the movie is any better .
I believe that that’S SLB style, opulence has become his signature tune and thats personal and not for us to judge, we can just sit and watch and not be too judgmental or sentimental or critical about it. If we need a AK we also need A Bhansali. If everyone starts taking a shot or thinking a film or the backdrop or the look the same way the palatee would look really boring.So I guess we should enjoy the variety.
AND YES I do feel Khamoshi was the best work of bhansali, very passionate and from the heart and I do feel Saawariya has the HDDCS feel, but it would be too early to comment on that. lets give the devil his due… after all he has a few credentials, whether we like it or not. After all Sony pics has apprached him to make a film If his style doesn’t match with mine or yours doesn;t mean we should blasphem him.
AND NO I AM NOT A BHANSALI FAN!!
And I think its very easy to sit on your keyboards, and start writing people off!! But I don’t think we have the right to do that, especially if we are want to be filmmakers or writers or anything related to that, because we know how difficult the entire journey is, because we all want to do it, and because there is someone out there who is too going through that phase .. but yes its a reponsibility to make a film, and to make it to the best possible abilities and sensibilities.. so lets first make a fukn film, prove ourselves and then start talking about other peoples crafts..
And Pratim I prefer your crush poetry to anything else.. or perhaps I have gotten up from the wrong side of bed..I am not defending or supporting anyone, i am just expressing my POV.
Although I agree that Devdas by no standard was a good movie, SLB provided in Black an extra lot of what was missing in Devdas, ie, Emotions. I think it’s not easy just for any director to create the kind of spectacle that SLB creates on screen.
Suchita, you don’t have to lay an egg to know whether its fresh or rotten! Obviously you are aware of SLB’s backstory and not mine. Contrary to your perceptions I am not just another guy yapping off in front of my keyboard. Your POV is always welcome until and unless there’s a palpable hint of a personal attack. I have not in a single sentence in my post criticised SLB… I have tried to highlight the mentality he’s got stuck into. My point is he cannot make a Khamoshi today, which you feel is his best work. Anyway, I have a feeling you won’t get it anyway…
I wasn’t attacking you, I was talking about all the other people who are attacking every other person who has credential and it wasn’t about bhansali.. and i wasn’t talking about you yapping on the keyboard.
The only good movie made by SLB was Khamoshi,after that he’s tried to kill his audience through opulence,Saanwariya looks like the next.A question though?I heard it’s based on some famous short story.Could anybody find out
Yes Vikram, that’s the point of the post. Thanks for understanding… Saawariya is “supposedly” inspired by White Nights a short story written by Fyodor Dostoevsky… a famous film version was made by the great Luchino Visconti
suchita i get a feeling that you are assuming that anybody who writes here is a big fan of anurag kashyap and his work and only his work . these are just first reaction that people are giving about sanjay leela bhansali as a filmmaker and his journey after watching the teaser of sawwariyan, may be the movie is awesome . what pritam brought out here was an insight into the mind of a filmmaker ..and it was very interesting reading that . i am not even too kicked about the no smoking trailer, to say the least it is disappointing …so what can i do as a movie buff if i thought black friday was awesome and black was just another pretentious and hollow movie by sanjay leela bhansali and saawariya seems to be headed that way , i sincerely hope i am wrong because sanjay leela bhansali is one of our better filmmakers.and we dont want to lose him to his success.where is anyone suggesting that we only need films like black friday or filmmakers like anurag kashyap ..we need different films but we dont need pretentious and shallow films or may be we don , but i feel i have the right to express my opinion against such films especially when they win national awards.
sorry that was supposed to be pratim and not pritam
I also feel that Ram Gopal Varma and Vidhu Vinod Chopra too suffer from the tech rog. Their films have got slicker and slicker but not the same can be said about the content. They have not been able to use technology to their advantage like a Farhan Akhtar has…
Farhan Akhtar has used technology well?
when?
Don?
DCH was his 1st & awesome work. He is good with technology. But he got carried away!
In Dil Chahta Hai (the cutting and the shot-taking), in Lakshya (in the songs) and in Don (all over), the technology is very well used… No doubt about that.
Aj I am not assuming anything such thing, and let me add I am a big AK fan myself…..so come throttle me for writing something like that.
I was just expressing an opinion and it wasn’t against the author.
Pratim – riveting post! I agree with you mostly. Loved that comment above about,
Hey Pratim,
Really nice one… Agree with you on most of it but still I don’t mind him spending crores to make visually appealing films. I really loved the trailer, I look at it as a Broadway musical brought to celluloid. He has his style and people like it… and whether it is simple gloss and no soul that remains to be seen…
well its the over the top grandeur and styling that puts me off. then whoever said that everyone has to have a palate for that. I agree with Pratim about SLB having got caught in a vortex of opulence.
@Suketu Shah
:-?You can
Soul of cinema lies in concepts, creativity, story telling..and connectivity, in between the story you tell, and the audiences who watch. Technical excellence can be bought with money, They are not the invention of filmmakers, But the essence of film evolves from with in, As no technique and expensive colors , brush and most expensive canvas in the world can’t always create a “MONALISA”. A simple coal chalk can do wonders sometimes on the canvas and hold your interest.
Technique is like a pen here. It can be 1 rupee pen or Mont blank. But the poetry and thoughts you write with it comes from with in…and that’s called creativity and soul of any art.
As par saawariya is concerned …Columbia pictures and Sony is not backing it to create merely a piece of art here. Don’t forget they are big business houses and their whole scenario is to do business and make big bucks…and we all will see that they made it.
Regards!
Agree Pratim. May be thtas true. But forced to do…dont think so. its a choice made. as we think the innocence is lost, may be he thinks he achived so much more with big is beautiful. but doesnt work for me. beautiful frames…grand sets…but they look fake ya…running around…flowing gown…m bored of it like YRF bored us with chiffon sarees once….sometimes it looks like visual masturbation…not a sucker for visual poetry anyway. give me prose anyday.
the set looks so fake ya. btw, is it SLB’s triology…after Devdas in RED…red red…its all Blue Blue…!!
saari bahas ke madhya ek hastkshep…slb ki fim ka naam saawariya likha ja raha hai…hona chahiye saanwariya..trailor meij jo gana sunai padta hai,usmein saanwariya gaya ja raha hai.aisi ghalti kaise hui…saanwariya shabd saanwar se bana hai,jo saanol ka desi roop hai…saanwariya krisna ke liyeistemaal hota raha hai.hindi filmon mein saanwariya lover ke liye use hota raha hai.
kya aap log is sambandh mein kuch kahenge.
[admin note: commenter troll capped. commend partially edited.]
to mr.gupta
i loved the promo of saanwariya.
moral of the story is ‘ a person need not like someone else’s piece of work
not every movie or director has to abide by the same kind of filmmaking style. If it doesnt cater to your tastes, then dont watch it. Simple! why torture your senses if you find it so pukeworthy. Just leave it for the fans of such kind of cinema. Such a biased piece (:|
@ridemghosh
* Your argument diplays so much of narrow-mindedness towards interpretation of cinema and so much of those cliched statements on opulence and grandeur! Reason : Ignorance of cinema and its devices coupled with that of North-Indian art!
* Nobody’s forced anybody to study anything to watch a movie but one cannot criticise cinema or makers of that under the hood of a cinema critic if you cannot be humble enough to accept your inability to discern the leitmotifs in a musical drama or the nuances/devices used in any other kind of cinema although you have every right to criticise it as a viewer. Anybody being a film lover doesn’t yield him a passport to sit in the chair of a juror.
* Even I didn’t like Ray’s Pather Panchali the very first time I saw it as a naive viewer but I did experience the usage of those poetic devices without understanding them. This was reason enough for me to actually study how to view a Ray’s movie and then be able to genuinely appreciate his genius.
* Your argument is synonymous to saying I don’t like Shakespeare or Arundhati Roy because I can only view them being stylish and grandiose in their writing and I don’t care about the nuances/depth of their writing. There are full-fledged courses in universities accross the world dedicated to appreciation and criticism of art[paintings, writing, cinema....]. If you don’t want to be educated about it, why blame the art or the makers of it?
I have thought this about HERO since the first time I saw it. I will hold my judgment on Saawariya though. I have no basis at the moment for concluding that he’s hiding behind his frames. Wong Kar Wai’s frames are perfect, but they service the story. Lets hope Bhansali’s do too. Ravi K Chandran is a master though and there’s nothign wrong with me wanting to pay 300 bucks to watch a master paint.. even if its not a movie..
Great reply suketu… completely agree with you.
To Pratim:
“Now, he had to get into Mughal-e-Azam territory. The K. Asif film, besides the Guru Dutt staple, had moved the young young Bhansali so much that his tryst with celluloid couldn
suketu , do you think we are fools not to be able to see the metaphors or poetic devices(?)in SLB’s works? …they are so loud and in your face and thats where the problem is , also besides that his story telling lacks depth and thats a major problem , why so shallow visuals…its wrong to call it visual poetry , its just visual delight….a guy i know can paint very well but what sets him apart from da vinci or any such?..ask urself this and you would get the answwers to why sanjay leela bhansali is no genius.
8-|, Only thing I can see in this post is “I know all attitude”… Whats wrong in making beautiful, good looking films?… You can criticize if the movie itself turns out bad… But just saying something based on first look, wow… thats not fair no matter who you are…
—-
“I also feel that Ram Gopal Varma and Vidhu Vinod Chopra too suffer from the tech rog. Their films have got slicker and slicker but not the same can be said about the content. They have not been able to use technology to their advantage like a Farhan Akhtar has
There’s so much to reply to… let me take some time and get back to the comments you have made… Hoo haa!
Methinks aj has got it bang on!
It’s the era of style rather than substance… So that’s what SLB’s doing — he excels in making a spectacle of everything
true. so true. SLB of khamoshi is dead. long live SLB.
reading this post and the comments makes me feel guilty..
i am no SLB fan but i also think it’s a little premature to judge his film not that i don’t have my own formed opinions.. i say that because it’s generally blamed on me because of my article on black.. well that was my opinion and i stand by it.. saying that, few things you can’t take away from the man..
however much i hate his devdas but it was that film that brought the world’s attention on Indian mainstream cinema, still the most popular mainstream film from india in europe.. we are reaping the fruits off the tree he sowed..
second noone since Vijayanand and maniratnam of before can shoot songs in india, he justifies the presence of songs in indian cinema..
i don’t like his cinema because i feel if he decides he can do what no one can but he seems to be caught somewhere.. SLB the man is in awe of SLB the phenomenon that he has become..
but i will watch him anyday over the trash that other people put out in hope , in expectation that he makes me swallow my own spit..
you can’t take away his conviction and his contribution.. he has almost become an adjective and no one can deny hm that..
let’s not judge him too soon.. i have my doubts on the film and other things too, but then i would hate it too and cry lINJUSTICE if opinions are formed based on my promos
I don’t think you should feel guilty Anurag because the post is entirely my opinion and does not bear any inspiration to any director, living or dead. The whole point of my post takes off from a Bhansali quote in a Subhash K. Jha interview: “I have returned to innocence with Saawariya.” Then I watch the 2-minute promo and I feel he hasn’t returned anywhere, he’s crawling on the same grandiose canvas. And hence the article and I watched Curse of the Golden Flower a couple of days back and found a unique commonality between Yimou and Bhansali.
As far as the comments go, I believe it’s a mixed reaction. There have been comments that have had to be trolled because they do consider Bhansali’s work as spectacular and wouldn’t listen to another point of view. And, of course, there are people who have agreed with what I am trying to say. I don’t think this post or any of its comments is an aftermath to your post on Black.
As for being judgemental to a promo, I think that’s what a promo is these days. You watch a promo and you decide whether you would like to watch that movie. That’s why Dus is a blockbuster and Blue Umbrella is not. While it maybe unfair to judge a film from its promo, I believe in today’s day and age, it’s half the battle won or lost.
pratim my reaction is more to the phonecalls i am getting from all.. in the industry theythink the opinion on PFC is my opinion:):)
Hmmm… Then it’s a good idea to post your disclaimer…
I think the cinematic vision and grandiose of SLB is unparalleled, however poor his content might be…which anyway most of the time is copied….
But he deserves to be applauded for bringing alive celluloid dreams into reality…come on…who else can shoot..Woh Saat Din as HDDCS…
AK movie over SLB anyday but but but ALONE..with wife or GF its SLB all the way…..
Visuals are stunning- a little contrived though- definite Baz Luhrman hangover…me no big fan of Bhansali’s, but wil definitely watch this n with an open mind…
Saawariya is going to be a megahit – or a big flop? Is it going to be masterpiece – or just style and opulence over compelling storytelling? Will it confirm that SLB is becoming subservient to his own image, or he can still make something better than Khamoshi – The Musical? Well, we will know the answers to all this once the film is released. I for one is against pre-judging any film on the basis of promos which most of the times are misleading. But one thing is for sure – cinema is compelling only when the storytelling is. The visual grandeur, the music – all this only can embellish the storytelling, but can never lift an ordinary film out of – well, ordinariness. The audiences are too smart to fall for style without soul, and this has been proved time and again all over the world.
I saw its promo today and I found the visuals a cross between Black, Hum dil and Devdas, as if its a conclusion of all the opulent films he has made so far. the same hum dil books and ashwarya kind running here and there, the same black umbrella and snow, the same devdas kind graphics.
but then you never know… it might really turn out to be something genuinely decent.
and by the way I dont think very highly of Khamoshi. I thought it was quite a weak film. think Devdas was not that bad, it was just too much of self indulgence and required a little restraint. Black was not great but it was watchable, and as for Hum dil I thought its first half was more stupid than innocent.
And after all these reactions I am still looking forward to Saanwariya!
May be SLB’s Sanvaria/Sawaria is having inspirations from world cinema, but trailer does not suggest its copied version of some film? Or a 1.53 minute promo can say all about a film?
I could see references to Lord Krishna also. Peacock and its feather, peacock blue colour and use of boat Ala Lord Vishnu is enjoying ride on Shesh Naag. and then a boy sitting like Arjuna and then inspiration from Sanjay Bhansali’s own directed (allegedely) song in 1942- A Love story, and that too was inpsired by Romaeo Juliot kinda plays, use of balcony etc and so on.
Is inspiration limited?
why to nail a film before its released? let its released and let audience see and decide whether they like it or not. Later its merits and demerits can be discussed. and will be discussed to length if film deserve and stimulate minds of viewers.
Trailer is simply beautiful.
Well, going by the first teaser, the film appears to be another epic from the ace director, one of the most talented, sensitive and brilliant directors of Indian film industry.
A lot of efforts, hard work, feelings, emotions msut have gone in the painting called “Saawariya”.
Thevisuals are grand and superbly picturised (painted)with some brilliant direction and camerawork.
We look forward to some great musical score for the film. It is most eagerly awaited.
We wish the very best to the brilliant director and his team for a grand success for “Saawariya”.
Precisely put, Pratim. Good on you.
I am going to say something which is going to stir the hornet’s nest.
I see a parallel here with Kamal Hassan. I am not a tamil but do follow the industry keenly as some gems keep coming out from there. Why does a good actor like Kamal has to become obsessed with multiple roles with over done makeup..? If the idea is to not look anything like himself in all the roles, why not get 9 other people do the other roles…?
Deep down it is the self obsession and narcissism taking over these otherwise very talented people to get consumed by their indulgences.
Anurag, I disagree about your point regarding how only Mani Ratnam & Vijay Anand can incorporate songs and justify their presence in the story… Yash Chopra, Prakash Mehra, Shakti Samantha, Dulal Guha, Raj Khosla, Hrishikesh Mukherjee and
That being said can’t deny SLB is a master at directing songs… he gives them a certain grace…
As for Saawariya, or its trailer rather… no doubt its amazing art/set design… but the story seems overly melodramatic… I dunno, didn’t get me too excited to watch the film… I’ll try to reserve my judgement until I see more trailers… this was, afterall, just the first look…
No offence Anurag, but I’d like to think that most people here have the capability of thinking for themselves, but since I can only speak for myself, I’d like to clarify that my comments/reactions to Saawariya were based upon the promo of the movie, concurrence with Pratim’s post and personal observations/opinions of SLB’s films throughout the years…and NOT on any article you wrote about Black (which btw I haven’t read).
I’d also like to add that though I agree with much of Pratim’s comments, there is a part of me, the part that used to be a SLB fan perhaps, that was momentarily mesmerised by the teaser, but I’ve kinda grown up now (cinematically), and pure visual beauty, no matter how seductive, just doesn’t cut it for me anymore (or maybe it’s not enough). As others have said, the things which I used to find beautiful about SLB’s mode of cinema, I now find jarring, loud, ostentatious and fake.
….and yet despite all this, I await Saawariya with bated breath! Call it the hypocrisy or schizophrenia of the cine-fan if you like!
Just got the new Filmfare where Bhansali is more made up that Sonam or Ranbir on the cover! Hilarious…
ha ha ha …
“I saw its promo today and I found the visuals a cross between Black, Hum dil and Devdas, as if its a conclusion of all the opulent films he has made so far. the same hum dil books and ashwarya kind running here and there, the same black umbrella and snow, the same devdas kind graphics.”
My thoughts exactly, adesh. It was like an amalgamation of all his films in one (bar Khamoshi).
OK I really need to stop posting! But….
http://www.mid-day.com/hitlist/2007/august/163088.htm
http://www.mid-day.com/hitlist/2007/august/163089.htm
WTF?! Lara as Paro?! Esha as Chandramukhi?! Sorry, I know this is off-topic but didn’t know where else to post it…and since SLB also directed Devdas…
Last post – promise!
SLB on Saawariya’s trailer, reactions, expectations, etc, and as some have noted, the ‘blue’ colour scheme:
http://www.mid-day.com/hitlist/2007/august/163090.htm
Rediff reactions to the poster:
http://in.rediff.com/movies/2007/aug/27saw.htm
Night, you can post as many as times as you like because as anyone can figure out they all add up to the content on this page…
Can’t stand these mouthpiece interviews by whom-let’s-not-name… Why doesn’t SLB write in first person?
Yikes, I didn’t notice who the interviewer was! Thanks for pointing out, Pratim. So I guess since a new SLB movie is on the release anvil, this means a whole new lease of gush from SLB’s lapdo…I mean, “good friend”? Gawd help us…
i would like to second what night said with a slight change …so i will do the copy paste(an art you got to learn if u have to establish urself in bollywood)
No offence Anurag, but I
another problem : if he adapts literary material , no problem ..but why only material whihc has been adapted earlier on screen ina fabulous way and claim to be original and a genius ..what hypocrisy …liek this one is a copy of Le Notti Bianche- (1957)Italian movie – Director Luchino Visconti link -http://imdb.com/title/tt0050782/plotsummary …liek i had heard someone’s remaking hitchcock’s rebecca ….now why claim to be adapting ‘rebecca’ the novel when you are catually adapting the movie (i want to ask both bhansali and the director of hindi rebecca, what did you hit upon first the book or the movie, come on dont lie to the world thinking we all are fools ..ofcourse the movies )
i can understand someone adapting shakepeare ….even if it has been adapted earlier…but ..idon think i need to say more . ok i will say ; how come these guys have not heard of other great literary material waiting to be adapted (because they dont have the capability to do that . period.
LOL aj…@ the homage/copy/inspiration quip ;)
@aj, they need visual references… I may completely wrong and I apologise if I am, but Ananth Mahadevan, the director of Anamika, may not be even aware of a story called Rebecca… They may have just seen the Hitchcock flick…
aj….it’s easier for filmmakers to get away with saying they are ‘adapting’ a novel for several reasons:
1) More room for ‘interpretation’, i.e. they can get away with more by claiming it’s thheir ‘vision’ of the story. Cant really do that with a movie.
2) Movie means ‘remake’ – a term which they all seem to want to avoid and vehemently deny no matter how true it is, hence terms (euphemisms?) like ‘inspiration’, ‘homage’, etc
3) There is a slight ego factor/snobbishness towards remaking a movie and adapting a novel, with the latter being more favoured and less like a copy cat.
That’s why you have people like JP Dutta claiming to have never seen Muzaffar’s Umrao Jaan and insisting that his version was an ‘interpretation’ of the literary source. Bull and s*** were the words which sprang to mind when I heard that. Vishal Bhardwaj, however, is someone who I believe is sincere in this regard. I think he has a genuine love for literature or the actual stories he chooses to adapt/interpret. He also does it very well and innovatively, and one of the few who manages to infuse an intrinsic Indian soul (and soil) into his adaptations (whether they are western or otherwise) and he also openly acknowledges his sources.
I also agree aj, that there’s a VAST wealth of literature just waiting to be visualised, and that filmmakers need to open their eyes and minds more….
Just wanna clarify hat my above post was a reaction to the following:
“now why claim to be adapting
yeah pratim thats exactly what i am saying but when the movie was announced they claimed to be adapting the novel…..what rubbish?
looks like ananth mahadevan took ‘inspiration’ from sajnya leela bhansali …there’s an overflow of inspiration here only if our stories were inspiring as well:)
yeah i admire vishal bhardawaj as well. he is genuine ..and i dont have any problem with his adaptations (they are his own)
Just wanted to add that they (SLB or whoever) probably like saying that their film is an adapation of a novel /literary work as it sounds better, but as you said – why only material which has been adpated on screen earlier and better? Well as Pratim said – they need visual refs, gives them a basic blueprint and cuts down some of the groundwork, e.g. they can play around with scenes, frames etc. When you have several different film versions of the same story, directors usually say its their version of the novel, so as not to seem to be copying someone else’s film and also to seem genuinely inspired by literature. But you can usually tell who’s genuinely adapting a novel and who’s remaking a movie.
PDG…i think u know…if u want to shoot SLB, u can shoot only from his left profile…oof…or is it only rite??…ok..one of these.
He he Somen have heard about that… Also, he has to chew the gum during the shoots… helps the still photo… ;)
I am disappointed with Sawariya promo. It looked like a gigsaw puzzle. Some random shots put together but convened nothing i mean not even raised my curiosity. It defenatly looked like SLB typical presentation of DEVDAS and HDDS. I expected more from SLB and he failed; i hope future trailer will be good and movie will be even better.
Whole trailer was dominated with blue colour, i guess its a SLB new found obsession. Some shots, looked very much similar Ex: girl circling around against wall was similar to Paro’s circling in devdas during ’silsila’ song. And camera movement were very much typical of Devdas style, and same is the boat’s shot.
One difference i noticed is, SLB trying to show a man’s body in seductive way ; a usual way of showing women’s body in Indian cinema ( which i personal felt embracing; me being a guy).
I feel KAMOSHI is SLB’s best film, though i liked his other movies. I guess after failure of kamoshi he tried reinventing himself and sticked to his new found style and fame.
One novel which most of these guys getting inspiration keep flaunting most of the time is The Fountainhead..They all want to be slotted in Howard Roarks category but majority of them are Peter Keatings..And the way the world works imo Peter Keating is having a upper hand..Otherwise how can a guy assume for himself that he is making a movie inspired by Rebecca..If you go by his past output he is too far from being inspired! And SLB,well he is too smart and savvy to hide his inspirations!
Gangolu – I like your point about showing a male body in a seductive way…good observation. Watched it again and all I can say is that it’s like a fusion or accumulation of all the motifs from his earlier films in one….
1) The boat: bit Devdas-ish (though I kinda liked the image of Ranbir gliding along holding an umbrella in the rain).
2) The bit where Ranbir is lying down topless while the curtain blows over him: the room in the background (both colour & design) reminds me of Devdas’ room (remember the stills of SRK lounging on the bed holding a bottle)
3)Lotsa candles – verrry Devdas (and a bit Black).
4)Sonam running up, down and around some palatial building/stairs: a la Aishwarya in HDDCS & Devdas (SLB sure likes making his heroines run…albeit not around trees.)
5) That brief glimpse of dancing girls and the sound of payals: Devdas again (Madhuri/Chandramukhi) with a hint of HDDCS.
6) Ranbir’s rockstar-ish twirl with the guitar: a la Salman’s music student in HDDCS.
7) Sonam’s skirt, choli and waist-length plait: a slightly less glam version of Aishwarya’s outfits and hair-style in HDDCS.
8) Sonam twirling around and banging something against a wall: reminiscent of Aish’s inro scene in Devdas, twirling around in the rain holding a diya.
9)Sonam holding books: Aish in HDDCS in the library with the books (with Salman)
10)The bridge: Devdas & HDDCS both had bridges (Cant rem if Black had one?)
11) The sets: a curious concoction of the screamingly fake, supposed ‘period’ sets of Black…very sombre tones, faux ‘vintage’ style, (Bhansali’s movies seem to be set in a time and place of his own fantasy rather than any identifiably real-life era or location)…could it be Victorian England or 40s Bombay? Only SLB knows…. Anyway, a amalgamation comprising of what was left over of Black’s ‘outdoor’ sets; touches of opulence from Devdas and Chandramukhi’s boudoirs; never-ending blue walls from Paro’s hubby’s haveli; HDDCS or Devdas’ bridge; some balconies and maybe the pool from Paro’s house in Devdas’ the fake snow from Black, and basically a mish-mash of countless other leftover bits and pieces from all three. Oh and lotsa focus on lights: candles, lanterns, diyas, floating tea-lights etc, as seen in all 3 previous movies. Lotsa rain too (classical Hindi cinema feature).
12)Sombre blue/greeny colour palette: obviously v Black, but that maybe because they both have the same DOP (Ravi Chandran).
13) The crashing, sweeping, uber-dramatic dhol-laden background score with operatic backing chorus a is v Devdas and Black – obviously due to Monty S.
What’s new: that bizarre opulent Buddha statue thing, the umbrella (nod to Raj Kapoor?)the peacock motif )though the mural type designs on the poster are again v similar to the Devdas potser). There may be more, but’s all I’ve noticed so far…
Ever since I disliked Devdas and Black, I was looking for exact words to vent my feelings. Thanks Pratim for the wonderfully crafted article. Thanks for saying what I always wanted to say.
Good post, Pratim.
I guess we all have had enough of all this opulence and its time we move on with simpler, richer narratives, there is a sea of short stories waiting to be explored(you would know better hailing from Bengal). I might be biased on such films but I hate this opulence business. Give me a Khosla ka ghosla any day. Having said that, I do not mind indulgence in framing, auteur theory would hold good any day. But this aint mise-en-scene or auteur, this is pure riding-on-a-cash-cow. Ok you are Bhansali, you are entitled to make a 50 crore love story, Ok you are Ghai, you can start a film without a story, Ok you are RGV, you can stay outside…I mean seriously, What the &&%%*^!!!??
Wow! Pratim! I didn’t get any scope to reply in last few days. But this piece is just awesome! Your writing never failsa to satisfy me. I will come up with a lonnnnnngggg comment soon.
Cheers!:d
BTW. Pratim! I started my day with a good dose of mirth after reading the featured mail in t2. It was so funny that I can’t stop giggling even now! What a fiery warning by Ms. Banerjee (or was is Mukherjee?)! People like me should think zillion times before talking about her biggest inspiration aka the biggest-ever icon. She is a quintessential worshipper of……..(oops! khoma korun Ms. Banerjee). If this is a reaction to a WIG article, what would she say after she reads your AAG review? I don’t know if she reads PFC or not. If so, many here should shiver in fear of her rebellion. ebar oboshyoi mundu kata jabe! Pratim. Post a link of your yet-to-be-posted article on the ABs and April 18-20, 2007 to her when you write it! What would happen then?@-)%-(%-(
one real good movie to watch out for.SAWARIYA
movie is just not the story. SLB proves this in all his movies. very artistic and well crafted.
every work of his is a master piece.
gr8 work!!
cheers!!
Sawariya ow bawariya when i saw this movie the first thing came in to mind was a song from Sudhir Mishra’s film “Hazaron khwaishen aisi”, “muniye bawra sudh budh kho raha dhudhe raat din kya bawra”.
Someone must tell SLB that amazing shots, camera angles and huge production value not only make the film. Filmmaking is beyond all this.
If he thinks that his blue dream(sawariya) will amaze people then i totally disagree what is more important is a story.
Story? i think that’s going to be the first question which he is going to ask me if he’ll read this blog.
Well i personally dint find any story in the whole film and was eagerly waiting for the intermission. He was quite successful in fooling people u cant guess when is the interval going to come. Each time when you think now this is going to be a interval its not you’ll be left with ambiguos state of mind that when is this bloody interval is going to come.
Though i appreciate him for few shots specially the one in which the whole wall is filled with mirror and he estableishe all the three characters one by one and CC but the whole 3D created city of sawaariya is so bogus that you cant digest. It will remind you of walt disney’s Alladin in the aerial shot. His dreamy land sometime looks so stupid and unreal that you’ll laugh when Rnbir Kapoor writing Sakina’s name on the wall the wall is so unreal and even dabbed inside iside as if he is not writing on the wall but on the cloth. I guess they dint get much POP from the production.
My dear SLB you lost it. Please dont do this to yourself. You have earned a good name.
The whole movie is oscilates from one period to another you wont understand the period. For once you’ll think by Zohra Sehgal’s Accent or the sets is one period but in another moment you’ll think its someother period.
People who’ll be benefitted by this project are Ranbir Kapoor all the Televsion and Adfilmakers for referencing he actually gave very good references for the people.
Ranbir Kapoor will be benefitted because he was not that good but he managed to convey his convictions in some of the shots. But whenever SLB wanted him to be stereo type he delievered Salman’s best. He reminded me of Salman in many scenes.
Sanjay….. Sanjay….. Sanjay….. i guess you not overated or you lost it….. sawariya matt bano Bawariya kuch complete dont present us something incomplete…… please……….
Cordially,
Nitin
Alright, so I heard the movie was a rich tapestry of visuals but lacked a soul. Not to be deterred by such vagaries I sat in and thus spoke Bansali