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iView Author: scriptlarva
Email: turn360degree@hotmail.com
City/Country: New Delhi/ India

The role of restraint in a good screenplay

Subtlety is a word that we hear often. When we go through our screenplays we often face the question- Should I put that extra line of dialogue just to make it more clear? Should I make the character a little more prototypal so that audience identify with him more easily? Should I make the situation more comical though unbelievable because I will be able to hold audience attention more? The temptation to add something extra is often too much.

I will give you an example: Consider this situation in a movie. Two commandos are escorting terrorists in a bus to a point of transfer. Terrorists realise that one of the commandos is a …

Got a call from my cousin Titu in Amritsar..And I braced myself up for some fundoo gyan from him.. “ Oye ki haal hai Yaara”, his first words to me as I answered with a tentative sounding Hello.. I said I am fine but what is this Yaara business..What happened to good old Paapey or Boss? He said Yaara is the new flavor of the season courtesy RNBDJ.. “ Oh, so you are hooked on to the movie,” I asked, peeved by his taste in movies..This time he surprised me by panning the movie saying it is too regressive even for the feudal sensibilities of North Indian Punjablis ! Then he went on to surprise me more..He commented that the movie was just like a cheap Chinese shoe..Good upper with no sturdy sole.. Then he asked me “ Oye Yaara, name five instances in Hindi Cinema where shoe …

iView Author: Dr. Mandar V. Bichu (Sharjah, U.A.E.)

Email: drmandarvb [at] yahoo [dot] com

Terrorism fuelled by religious fanaticism has become a burning topic in today’s world. Until recently Hindi cinema just used the populist villain-ish image of terrorism, which served to provide the filmi ammunition for hero’s explosive on-screen violence and clichéd jingoistic dialogues. But thankfully the picture is changing for the better. Hard-hitting films like Anurag Kashyap’s Black Friday and Shoaib Mansoor’s Pakistani film Khuda Kay Liye have successfully explored the deep-rooted social, political, ideological, moral and ethical conflicts underlying this complex issue. A Wednesday and Aamir are two notable films joining this growing list of terrorism-related realistic movies. Watching them one after another (with Dostana sandwiched in between!) over three days was an interesting experience, worth putting down in words.

Film-Synopsis:

A …

So when I picked up the DVd from the local grocery store for viewing, my wife asked me what kinda movie it was. Rarely has she seen me renting a Hindi DVD. I told her that it is supposed to be a ‘thriller’.

The next question was ‘who are there in it?’ I told ‘Naseer and Anupam’.

The reaction was something of a suggestion that I go have my head checked soon for what is an action thriller in Hindi which is so oxymoronically devoid of six pack stunt team of Sunil Shetty or Hrithik or any of the usual suspects.

After 2 hours, the reactions were that of pleasnt surprise.

A wednesday is a surprising film - for it relies purely on the script to generate enough plot twists and motion . The script and acting are so nicely done that the low budget and some cliches dont grow to be mountains to …

Tata gave us a common man’s dream car Nano..Bollywood too, of late, has been producing its own Nanos ( movies with the budget between 2-3 crores)..Not only the Nanos but Nannies ( movies with the budget between 4-6 crores) and Nanas ( movies with the budget of ten crores plus) also ..(These categories are home-grown and product of this finicky mind of mine).. But Nanos seems to be the flavor in these rocky times..

In present era either it is high risk-high returns model that comprises of films with topnotch stars or low risk-high returns model that comprises of films with terrific stories that are being favored by production houses and studios.. The reasoning given is that the audience tastes have changed..It has matured and become more discerning..With global exposure it has become more demanding too..Hence it is open to more …

Before you go ‘Oh my god, not another post on this movie’ I would like to say that I have read almost all the posts and comments on this movie and will try to steer as far as I can from analyzing or reviewing this movie in a classical sense. Many better people have already done that.

They say that movie going is an experience and I think an important part of it becoming an experience is when you can relate and respond to what’s happening on screen. You laugh, cry, become sad, angry and even clap or whistle in righteous agreement. As bomb blasts become a frustratingly routine affair with no end or solution in sight, our lives and outlook changes towards the world around us. We feel the change within us, inside us, in small ways that we don’t even recognize but sometimes an imperfect movie like ‘A Wednesday’ …

iView Author: Alankrata Seth (Mumbai, India)
Email: withheld

A WEDNESDAY - AN EXPERIENCE REVISITED

This was more than a year back. I got a call from someone saying he had got my number from a friend of mine and would I be interested in working as an assistant director on a feature film? He refused to divulge any other information apart from the directors and the production houses’ name, both of which I hadn’t heard of.

What the heck, I thought, let me go and find out what is this all about. I had been unemployed for some time and took this as a chance of stepping out of the house and getting some fresh air.

I reached their Oshiwara office at the specified time the next day, …