Showing posts with label Matterden Center. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Matterden Center. Show all posts
Dadasaheb Phalke's 1919 film Kaliya Mardan to be shown this week at Deepak at 7pm
7:52 AM
Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 30, 2015)
One of Dadasaheb Phalke's classics, Kaliya Mardan which was first released in 1919, opens at The Deepak today. It will run for a week at the theatre in the 7 pm slot.
In 1918, Phalke had made Shri Krishna Janma, the first production of the newly formed Hindustan Cinema Film Company which he had set up with Mumbai-based industrialists, Maya Shankar Bhatt, LP Phatak, Madhavji Jesing and Gokuldas Damodar. The highlight of the film was a dream in which Kansa imagines figures of Krishna attacking and decapitating him.
His severed head floats into the air, rejoins his body, then takes flight again. This happened several times, causing much merriment amongst the audience and leaving connoisseurs in later decades with a sample of Phalke's trick photography.
Boosted by the success of the film, the Father of Indian Cinema continued with Krishna's journey, releasing Kaliya Mardan the following year.
According to Hindu mythology Kaliya was a 10-hooded poisonous snake which takes up residence in the Yamuna. The Brijvasis are terrorised by the snake and in a bid to rid them of their deadliest foe, Krishna jumps on its head one day and starts dancing, the weight of the universe slowly crushing Kaliya to its death till its wives pray for his life. Krishna pardons the reptile after it promises to leave the river and slither back to its native island.
Phalke introduced his daughter in the film. In the title credits, Mandakini's face slowly dissolves to become that of a young Krishna, reflecting myriad emotions, from anger to happiness. The film is one of those rare classics which is still intact, having been preserved in the National Film Archives in Pune.
"The Enlighten Film Company which has joined hands with The Deepak to form Matterden CFC, India's first Film Centre, has the rights to certain titles, Kaliya Mardan being one of them. So far, we have mostly screened world cinema. This week we will be screening this 1919 film as part of our decision to give the audience a taste of Indian classics too. We're planning more susch screenings," says Punit Shah. owner of the theatre.
Deepak Cinema in Mumbai takes PK off screen after VHP threat
10:37 AM
Ankur Pathak (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 29, 2014)
The Matterden cinema hall in Lower Parel (earlier known as Deepak Talkies) cancelled the screening of the Aamir Khanstarrer PK after Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) wrote to the theatre owners threatening to damage property if the film continues to be screened.
Matterden director Pranav Ashar told Mirror that the staff expressed anxiety over possible violence by VHP activists, which led the management to cancel two shows on Sunday. He said, "We had to alert the cops and now the security around the theatre has been increased. We don't want our patrons to be inconvenienced, and hence took the decision to cancel the shows."
Ashar said they are yet to take a call on further screenings of the film. "We will evaluate the situation on Monday and take a decision. We are also looking at similar disruptions in other places."
He was referring an incident in Bhilai, Chhattisgarh on Sunday where a crowd of around 500 Bajrang Dal activists stormed a single-screen theatre, destroyed property and assaulted the manager.
"They have a very specific demand -- they want the scene showing Aamir's character chasing an actor playing Shiva into the toilet to be deleted. They also want the part cut out in which Aamir says people don't pee when they see a god photo on a wall, so they won't slap him if he pastes it on his face. We cancelled all shows for Sunday," a member of the Bhilai theatre management told Mirror.
The Bhilai theatre's owners have now written to PK director Rajkumar Hirani and producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra for support, and have also sought help from Chhattisgrah Chief Minister Raman Singh. Anand Rathi, who runs the Bhilai theatre, added, "We're figuring a way out. It has been a very scary situation but we are determined to run the film."
Satyajit Ray's Bengali classic Jalsaghar to release this week in Mumbai
7:38 AM
Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 5, 2014)
Satyajit Ray's 1958 Bengali classic, Jalsaghar (The Music Room) will open in the city today. It will be screened at India's first international film centre, Matterden in Deepak Talkies, with a daily show till September 11. Recipient of the Presidential Award, the film won critical acclaim and commercial success in US and Europe, making Ray an international icon.
Arup De, CEO of the Ray Society, informs that buoyed by the success of his debut film, Pather Panchali, Ray made its sequel, Aparajito (The Unvanquished) which bagged the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, but didn't work at the boxoffice. But Ray who had quit his advertising job, was compelled to make one film after another to ensure that his producers got their money back.
In an article written in Bengali, translated in English by De and published in 14 Stories That Inspired Satyajit Ray, Ray writes, "Bengali cinegoers had always liked the use of song and dance in films. I was wondering if it was really impossible to make a decent movie without dropping these traditional elements and started researching for a suitable story. Soon I renewed my acquaintance with Jalsaghar by Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay."
The short story revolves around a zamindar who is trying to hold on to his family's prestige by hosting music spectacles even as his property is ravaged by floods and the abolition of the zamindari system is bringing the era to an end. "I thought that the story would give me legitimate scope for using music and dance," Ray writes.
Chabi Biswas played Biswambhar Roy and Padma Devi was the zamindar's wife, Mahamaya. Ustad Waheed Khan made a special appearance as Ustad Ujir Khan, singing a song in the voice of Ustad Vilayat Khan, who had composed the film's music. Roshan Kumari played danseuse Krishna Bai and Begum Akhtar was seen as singer Durga Bai.
The film was shot at Nimtita Rajbari, 10 kilometres from Murshidabad. Ray's son, Sandip, recalls that the palace did not have a music room and his father worked closely with art director Bansi Chandragupta to create this set. In 1993, Merchant Ivory Productions restored the film and Sony Pictures Classics released it theatrically in New York. It was released on VHS in 1995 and now it is coming to the theatres again.
The Shahs of showtime: Meet the owners of the chic Deepak Talkies
8:28 AM
Kunal Guha (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 3, 2014)
Relative Value Shobhana (65), Punit (30) and Mansi (30)
When Mumbai got its first Hard Rock Cafe, the standard direction to the venue was, 'take the left from Deepak Talkies'.
In the last two decades, the single-screen with a history spanning 80 years was reduced to little more than a landmark. That was until February this year, when heir to the movie hall, Punit Shah and wife Mansi metamorphosed it in an attempt to diversify their audience base from the all-male-front bencher demographic. The 30-year-old's great grandfather, Tokershi Jivraj Shah was a trader who owned land in Sewri and Lower Parel back in the '20s. The plot where Deepak Talkies stands today was bought from a church in 1926, says Punit, who found an old floor plan of the area which suggests that a butcher's shop used to stand where the entrance currently sits.
Before screening films, the venue hosted live performances, circus shows and English plays. "He envisioned an entertainment space inspired by his travels to London, which he frequented as a merchant," says Punit. Deepak became a movie theatre only in the late '30s and screened silent films before the talkies era began.
Years later, Punit's father, Sahadev Deraj Shah, then barely 20, took over in 1958. His contribution was to add the balcony section. "It's where I first met him," remembers Shobhana, Punit's mother, speaking of her late husband. "I accompanied a school friend for a special preview of Gumnaam. It was a scary suspense film and the show started post midnight." Soon, she was joining her husband for special previews at Eros, Liberty and Nehru Planetarium. "He was associated with the Censor Board, so he had to watch almost every film," she adds. Although she turned manager of the theatre, after his death in 1998, Shobhana takes little credit, and has fewer complaints. And she never considered getting the monkey off her back despite some shows going empty. In fact, she admits candidly, she didn't think Punit would take over since he had an MBA and was interested in a career in real estate.
Like Punit, who with his interior designer wife has masterminded Deepak's new life, his father too strived to experiment with innovation, including introducing Dolby sound in the early 90s. "Regal and Deepak were the only ones to," she claims. The visionary, remembers Shobhana, had brought a VCR to India from one of his trips abroad. "This was before VCRs became common-stay in India. Even Jaya Bachchan would borrow our VCR and VHS cassettes of English films," she smiles.
Despite being a cinema owner's son, Punit's friends rarely cashed in with a free show. "I was at Bombay Scottish, and most of my classmates preferred watching English films which we didn't screen," he says, when his mother interrupts him: "But we organised free shows for his entire school a couple of times."
Like most single-screens in Mumbai, Deepak's downfall began in early 2000 with the advent of multiplexes. Comfier seats, flavoured popcorn and the option of picking from a range of films lured audiences away. "Last year, Mansi came up with a plan to redesign the theatre, and we were happy to back her," Punit says of his wife who first watched a film at the family theatre when 3 Idiots released.
Her plan was ambitious and littered with restraints. "I had to retain the regal look and introduce beautification without breaking anything down," explains Mansi, who chose red and black for the seats, and cut their number down by 25 % to allow for more leg space. Civil work for cracked walls, a paint job for the entire auditorium and polishing the wooden roof at the entrance were mundane compared to the challenge a critical pillar at the entrance posed. "It had given way and we wanted an identical one made. My carpenters had to chisel one out from scratch," she says, adding that the grand cylinder cost them Rs 80,000. "But what we spent most generously," Punit laughs, "were our brains."
Cosmetic changes had to be accompanied by first-rate service including online booking, valet parking, a canteen stocked with multiplex eats, air-conditioning and shows dedicated to foreign classics.
Currently hosting the Matterden Centre for Films and Creations, an initiative of the Enlighten Film Society, it will screen Citizen Kane, Metropolis, Rashomon and Roman Holiday. "Cinema goers today are willing to pay for facilities offered," Shobhana says, although for her the old-time samosa will always be a favourite.
THE PLOT BEFORE DEEPAK
Tokershi Jivraj Shah, a trader and landlord, bought the plot where Deepak Talkies stands today from a church in 1926. An old floor plan revealed that a butcher's shop stood where the entrance is located.\
Relative Value Shobhana (65), Punit (30) and Mansi (30)
When Mumbai got its first Hard Rock Cafe, the standard direction to the venue was, 'take the left from Deepak Talkies'.
In the last two decades, the single-screen with a history spanning 80 years was reduced to little more than a landmark. That was until February this year, when heir to the movie hall, Punit Shah and wife Mansi metamorphosed it in an attempt to diversify their audience base from the all-male-front bencher demographic. The 30-year-old's great grandfather, Tokershi Jivraj Shah was a trader who owned land in Sewri and Lower Parel back in the '20s. The plot where Deepak Talkies stands today was bought from a church in 1926, says Punit, who found an old floor plan of the area which suggests that a butcher's shop used to stand where the entrance currently sits.
Before screening films, the venue hosted live performances, circus shows and English plays. "He envisioned an entertainment space inspired by his travels to London, which he frequented as a merchant," says Punit. Deepak became a movie theatre only in the late '30s and screened silent films before the talkies era began.
Years later, Punit's father, Sahadev Deraj Shah, then barely 20, took over in 1958. His contribution was to add the balcony section. "It's where I first met him," remembers Shobhana, Punit's mother, speaking of her late husband. "I accompanied a school friend for a special preview of Gumnaam. It was a scary suspense film and the show started post midnight." Soon, she was joining her husband for special previews at Eros, Liberty and Nehru Planetarium. "He was associated with the Censor Board, so he had to watch almost every film," she adds. Although she turned manager of the theatre, after his death in 1998, Shobhana takes little credit, and has fewer complaints. And she never considered getting the monkey off her back despite some shows going empty. In fact, she admits candidly, she didn't think Punit would take over since he had an MBA and was interested in a career in real estate.
Like Punit, who with his interior designer wife has masterminded Deepak's new life, his father too strived to experiment with innovation, including introducing Dolby sound in the early 90s. "Regal and Deepak were the only ones to," she claims. The visionary, remembers Shobhana, had brought a VCR to India from one of his trips abroad. "This was before VCRs became common-stay in India. Even Jaya Bachchan would borrow our VCR and VHS cassettes of English films," she smiles.
Despite being a cinema owner's son, Punit's friends rarely cashed in with a free show. "I was at Bombay Scottish, and most of my classmates preferred watching English films which we didn't screen," he says, when his mother interrupts him: "But we organised free shows for his entire school a couple of times."
Like most single-screens in Mumbai, Deepak's downfall began in early 2000 with the advent of multiplexes. Comfier seats, flavoured popcorn and the option of picking from a range of films lured audiences away. "Last year, Mansi came up with a plan to redesign the theatre, and we were happy to back her," Punit says of his wife who first watched a film at the family theatre when 3 Idiots released.
Her plan was ambitious and littered with restraints. "I had to retain the regal look and introduce beautification without breaking anything down," explains Mansi, who chose red and black for the seats, and cut their number down by 25 % to allow for more leg space. Civil work for cracked walls, a paint job for the entire auditorium and polishing the wooden roof at the entrance were mundane compared to the challenge a critical pillar at the entrance posed. "It had given way and we wanted an identical one made. My carpenters had to chisel one out from scratch," she says, adding that the grand cylinder cost them Rs 80,000. "But what we spent most generously," Punit laughs, "were our brains."
Cosmetic changes had to be accompanied by first-rate service including online booking, valet parking, a canteen stocked with multiplex eats, air-conditioning and shows dedicated to foreign classics.
Currently hosting the Matterden Centre for Films and Creations, an initiative of the Enlighten Film Society, it will screen Citizen Kane, Metropolis, Rashomon and Roman Holiday. "Cinema goers today are willing to pay for facilities offered," Shobhana says, although for her the old-time samosa will always be a favourite.
THE PLOT BEFORE DEEPAK
Tokershi Jivraj Shah, a trader and landlord, bought the plot where Deepak Talkies stands today from a church in 1926. An old floor plan revealed that a butcher's shop stood where the entrance is located.\
(From left to right: Shobhana Shah, Punit Shah, Mansi Shah and her brother Raj Shah)
Matterden Center: Art-house films get a home at Deepak Talkies
9:14 AM
Sharmila Ganesan (THE TIMES OF INDIA; July 13, 2014)
Lower Parel's Deepak Talkies
might soon be to cinema buffs what Prithvi theatre is to theatre
lovers. This Friday, in the presence of filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane,
the recently refurbished single-screen welcomed the Matterden Center
for Films and Creation - a first-of-its-kind film centre in the city - to
its premises. The 85-year-old Deepak theatre has now permanently offered
its evening slot to this center for the purpose of screening inspiring
foreign and art-house movies.
“Mumbai loves cinema, mostly the same kind of cinema which gets a lot of space," says Varun Verma, director of the centre. “But a different, new kind of cinema needs a home," adds Verma, citing the Lincoln Film Center in New York that has contributed in creating thoughtful audiences.
So, to begin with, one film will be released every week at the theatre with a daily evening show. The first collection A Line of of films titled 'Classics for Mumbai' includes Kurosawa's 'Rashomon', considered one of the most important works, De Sica's 'Bicycle Thieves' and Buster Keaton's 'The General'.
At the launch, Motwane shared that he discovered classics either at film festivals or on DVDs. “However, the fun of discovering a film in a theatre with like-minded people is magical," said Motwane. “I love the fact that Matterden CFC is doing this because for a new generation to discover 'Bicycle Thieves' or 'Rashomon' or for that matter any other contemporary film in a darkened theatre on a large screen is just magical.“
The idea came up when visitors at the new Deepak Talkies, which was launched in February 2014, saw the British ambience and suggested it would be ideal for hosting arthouse cinema and film festivals. A bit of research led the owner of Deepak, Punit Shah to Enlighten Society, an arts media NGO committed to disseminating and preserving all forms of the arts. Overwhelmed by his decision to offer the premises, and wanting to turn their passion into business, the NGO launched Matterden. “As opposed to a regular theatre, which is just for consumption of cinema, this centre would be a place for creation of it," says Shah, adding that the abundance of open space would be conducive to writers, directors, producers and lyricists to discuss moviemaking, programming and educate film students.
“People want to meet people, not only look at screens," says Verma, adding that holding workshops and discussions are also part of the centre's agenda.
Various filmmakers, international film studios and friends from the film and tech community have pledged their support for this centre. With their help, the centre will shift gears from September onwards towards advance screenings of Indian independent films, creation of a library of books on cinema and organising workshops by animators and filmmakers to create a culture of modern film viewing.
SCHEDULE from July 11 to September 11
One film will be released every Friday at Matterden CFC. One evening show of that film will be held every day throughout the week
11 July-17 July
Bicycle Thieves
18 July-24 July
Roman Holiday
25 July-31 July
The General
1 August-7 August
Citizen Kane
8 August-14 August
City Lights
15 August-21 August
Shadow Of A Doubt
22 August-28 August
Children Of Heaven
29 August-4 September
Seven Samurai
5 September-11 September
Jalsaghar (Satyajit Ray)
“Mumbai loves cinema, mostly the same kind of cinema which gets a lot of space," says Varun Verma, director of the centre. “But a different, new kind of cinema needs a home," adds Verma, citing the Lincoln Film Center in New York that has contributed in creating thoughtful audiences.
So, to begin with, one film will be released every week at the theatre with a daily evening show. The first collection A Line of of films titled 'Classics for Mumbai' includes Kurosawa's 'Rashomon', considered one of the most important works, De Sica's 'Bicycle Thieves' and Buster Keaton's 'The General'.
At the launch, Motwane shared that he discovered classics either at film festivals or on DVDs. “However, the fun of discovering a film in a theatre with like-minded people is magical," said Motwane. “I love the fact that Matterden CFC is doing this because for a new generation to discover 'Bicycle Thieves' or 'Rashomon' or for that matter any other contemporary film in a darkened theatre on a large screen is just magical.“
The idea came up when visitors at the new Deepak Talkies, which was launched in February 2014, saw the British ambience and suggested it would be ideal for hosting arthouse cinema and film festivals. A bit of research led the owner of Deepak, Punit Shah to Enlighten Society, an arts media NGO committed to disseminating and preserving all forms of the arts. Overwhelmed by his decision to offer the premises, and wanting to turn their passion into business, the NGO launched Matterden. “As opposed to a regular theatre, which is just for consumption of cinema, this centre would be a place for creation of it," says Shah, adding that the abundance of open space would be conducive to writers, directors, producers and lyricists to discuss moviemaking, programming and educate film students.
“People want to meet people, not only look at screens," says Verma, adding that holding workshops and discussions are also part of the centre's agenda.
Various filmmakers, international film studios and friends from the film and tech community have pledged their support for this centre. With their help, the centre will shift gears from September onwards towards advance screenings of Indian independent films, creation of a library of books on cinema and organising workshops by animators and filmmakers to create a culture of modern film viewing.
SCHEDULE from July 11 to September 11
One film will be released every Friday at Matterden CFC. One evening show of that film will be held every day throughout the week
11 July-17 July
Bicycle Thieves
18 July-24 July
Roman Holiday
25 July-31 July
The General
1 August-7 August
Citizen Kane
8 August-14 August
City Lights
15 August-21 August
Shadow Of A Doubt
22 August-28 August
Children Of Heaven
29 August-4 September
Seven Samurai
5 September-11 September
Jalsaghar (Satyajit Ray)
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