Showing posts with label Sir. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sir. Show all posts
OTT releases find place in Oscar entry selection
8:14 AM
Priyanka Dasgupta (BOMBAY TIMES; November 22, 2020)
Kolkata: No film may have released in most of 2020, but India will still send an entry for the Academy Awards. This is the first year that a good number of OTT releases will be among the 27 films that are currently being viewed online by jury members who will select the Indian entry to the Oscars.
Last year, Zoya Akhtar’s ‘Gully Boy’ was selected as India’s Oscar entry. This year, the jury is being chaired by director Rahul Rawail. According to a source, some of the Hindi films submitted for consideration are ‘Sir’, ‘Shikara’, ‘Gunjan Saxena’, ‘Shakuntala Devi’, ‘Bahattar Hoorain’, ‘Malang’, ‘Chhalaang’, ‘Gulabo Sitabo’, ‘Chhapaak’, ‘Bhonsle’, ‘AK vs AK’, ‘Kaamyaab’, ‘Serious Men’, ‘Bulbbul’, ‘I Pad’, ‘Atkan Chatkan’ and ‘Chintu Ka Birthday’.
Of these, ‘Gunjan Saxena’, ‘Serious Men’, ‘Shakuntala Devi’, ‘Bulbbul’, ‘Gulabo Sitabo’, ‘Chintu Ka Birthday’ and ‘Bhonsle’ have already been released on OTT platforms. Three Marathi films —‘Chippa’, ‘The Disciple’ and ‘Bittersweet’— and two Malayalam movies, ‘Moothon’ and ‘Jallikattu’, are also in contention. Not a single Bengali film is in the race this year, though last year ‘Nagarkirtan’, ‘Tarikh-A Timeline’ and ‘Konttho’ were considered.
Director Nila Madha Panda’s Odia film, ‘Yesterday’s Past’ (‘Kalira Atita’) has been submitted. “It is almost like a silent film about a man and the sea. The film is based on the vanishing villages by the sea,” Panda said.
‘Bittersweet’ director Ananth Narayan Mahadevan said it was important that the film representing a country ticked all the important boxes for an Oscar shortlist. The film had an original subject that had never been explored on the Indian screen. It is on how woman sugarcane-cutters in India are “advised” to undergo hysterectomy to save four working days a month that they may lose to the menstrual cycle.
“It is rooted in its country of origin, is about human rights, tells an emotionally charged story and has an international appeal — these are all requisite boxes for an Oscar jury. It will be a privilege to represent the country with such content that received rave reviews at Busan International Film Festival,” Mahadevan said.
Movie Review: 'IS LOVE ENOUGH? - SIR' by FENIL SETA
10:10 PM
The Diwali week is usually dominated by some of the biggest films of the year. But this year is going to be different. With biggies preferring to wait it out until there's some degree of normalcy, the smaller films will have a field day in cinemas during the festival of lights. The one to take advantage of this opportunity is 'Is Love Enough? - SIR'. The film has made waves internationally and is a highly acclaimed film. It was scheduled to be released on March 20, 2020 but the lockdown ruined all plans. With cinemas now open in most parts of the country, 'Is Love Enough? - SIR' made it quietly to cinemas today. And it can be a film that's worth making a visit to the theatre!
The story of the film: Ratna (Tillotama Shome) is born and brought up in a village in Maharashtra. She was married early and became a widow at the age of 19. Everyone felt her life was finished. Proving her naysayers wrong, she comes to Mumbai and gets employed as a househelp in the house of Ashwin (Vivek Gomber). Ashwin was settled in the USA. But the demise of his brother prompted him to return and join his father (Rahul Vohra) in his business. He also is about to get married in a different city to his girlfriend. Ratna goes to her village during that time. But her holiday is cut short as Ashwin breaks his marriage and returns. Ratna, meanwhile, is trying to learn tailoring to fulfil her dream of becoming a fashion designer. With Ashwin's approval, she begins to work for a tailor for a few hours daily after completing the household chores. She also motivates Ashwin and encourages him to move on with life. Ashwin appreciates the gesture. Soon, both get quite close.
'Is Love Enough? - SIR' begins on an interesting note as Ashwin's marriage is called off and he returns dejected. Slowly and gradually, the director acquaints the viewers with the characters, their back stories, their dreams, their fears etc. Nothing much happens in the first half of this 101 minute long film but it still engages. The second half is when the characters cross the so-called line and this is where things get better. The film ends on a poignant and yet heartwarming note.
Rohena Gera's story is very novel and impressive. It does remind one a bit of the anthology flick Lust Stories and also the acclaimed movie Roma. But the writer has peppered the narrative with many original plot points. Rohena Gera's screenplay is slow yet beautiful. She takes her time to explain the changing dynamics between the lead characters and it works. As a rushed job, this wouldn't have worked. Rohena Gera's dialogues are minimal and effective.
Rohena Gera's direction is superlative and does justice to the script. She raises some important points about class divide, desire of people in villages to move to the city, the need to be financially independent, following your dreams etc. She also lays bare the fact that no matter how progressive we become, the fear of 'what-will-people-say' might not leave us. On the flipside, a few developments are too sudden, especially Ashwin's decision to break off the wedding. No explanation is given at all. The same happens in the last 15 minutes. The consistency of the film's pace breaks here.
Speaking of performances, Tillotama Shome leaves a tremendous mark. She looks every inch the character that she was essaying. It's amazing to see her silences and hesitations, especially in scenes when she's speaking to Vivek and is being cautious, making sure she doesn't breach the ‘line’. Vivek Gomber gets to play a heartwarming and an adorable character and he infuses life into it beautifully. It's also great to see how nicely he communicates with his silences. Of course, his dialogue delivery is spot on and same goes for Tillotama as well. In fact, both speak so impeccably that you feel like listening to them all day long! Geetanjali Kulkarni (Laxmi) is dependable as always. Bhagyashree Pandit (Choti) is decent. Chandrachoor Rai (Vicky; Ashwin's friend) makes his presence felt, especially in the pre-climax. Anupria Goenka (Ankita) is memorable, despite being in two (contrasting) sequences. Bachan Pachera (Tailor) is quite good. Rahul Vohra, Divya Seth Shah (Ashwin's mother), Dilnaz Irani (Nandita; Ashwin's sister), Alok Chaturvedi (Watchman) and Saharsh Kumar Shukla (Sabina's driver) are fair in their cameo appearances.
The songs 'Jeene Mein Kya Jaata Hai' and 'Zindagi Ka Feel' (Raghav Vagav) suit the narrative. Pierre Avia's background score is subtle and impactful. Dominique Colin's cinematography is splendid. The house scenes are well captured and in no time, one is able to more or less memorize the place. Also, it’s good to see that while most films are shot either in South Mumbai or the suburbs, this one is mostly set in the central part of the city. Parul Sondh's production design is appropriate. Kimneineng Kipgen and Chetna Rawat's costumes are straight out of life. Jacques Comets's editing is ideal for a film of this sort.
Some of the best scenes of the film:
1. Ashwin apologizing to Ratna for his sister’s behaviour
2. Ratna informs Ashwin about her past
3. Ratna saves Ashwin by lying on the phone (sweet scene!)
4. Ashwin and Ratna’s conversation in the kitchen about life in the USA
5. Ratna clarifies when Ashwin sees her trying her creation in his room
6. Ashwin gifts magazines and sewing china to Ratna
7. Ratna gifts a shirt to Ashwin
8. Ratna dances during Ganpati visarjan and the scene thereafter
9. Ratna and Ashwin at the rooftop
10. The last 20 minutes of the film
On the whole, 'Is Love Enough? - SIR' is India’s answer to Roma. It would have been pleasure watching it in a film festival with like-minded moviegoers and then clapping loudly when the credits would roll. A conversation with writer-director Rohena Gera post the screening would have been like an icing on the cake. Nevertheless, it’s great that it has been released in cinemas. Sometimes, it’s nice to watch such films on the big screen and not on an OTT platform. Do give it a try if it has been released in your city!
My rating - **** out of 5!
The story of the film: Ratna (Tillotama Shome) is born and brought up in a village in Maharashtra. She was married early and became a widow at the age of 19. Everyone felt her life was finished. Proving her naysayers wrong, she comes to Mumbai and gets employed as a househelp in the house of Ashwin (Vivek Gomber). Ashwin was settled in the USA. But the demise of his brother prompted him to return and join his father (Rahul Vohra) in his business. He also is about to get married in a different city to his girlfriend. Ratna goes to her village during that time. But her holiday is cut short as Ashwin breaks his marriage and returns. Ratna, meanwhile, is trying to learn tailoring to fulfil her dream of becoming a fashion designer. With Ashwin's approval, she begins to work for a tailor for a few hours daily after completing the household chores. She also motivates Ashwin and encourages him to move on with life. Ashwin appreciates the gesture. Soon, both get quite close.
'Is Love Enough? - SIR' begins on an interesting note as Ashwin's marriage is called off and he returns dejected. Slowly and gradually, the director acquaints the viewers with the characters, their back stories, their dreams, their fears etc. Nothing much happens in the first half of this 101 minute long film but it still engages. The second half is when the characters cross the so-called line and this is where things get better. The film ends on a poignant and yet heartwarming note.
Rohena Gera's story is very novel and impressive. It does remind one a bit of the anthology flick Lust Stories and also the acclaimed movie Roma. But the writer has peppered the narrative with many original plot points. Rohena Gera's screenplay is slow yet beautiful. She takes her time to explain the changing dynamics between the lead characters and it works. As a rushed job, this wouldn't have worked. Rohena Gera's dialogues are minimal and effective.
Rohena Gera's direction is superlative and does justice to the script. She raises some important points about class divide, desire of people in villages to move to the city, the need to be financially independent, following your dreams etc. She also lays bare the fact that no matter how progressive we become, the fear of 'what-will-people-say' might not leave us. On the flipside, a few developments are too sudden, especially Ashwin's decision to break off the wedding. No explanation is given at all. The same happens in the last 15 minutes. The consistency of the film's pace breaks here.
Speaking of performances, Tillotama Shome leaves a tremendous mark. She looks every inch the character that she was essaying. It's amazing to see her silences and hesitations, especially in scenes when she's speaking to Vivek and is being cautious, making sure she doesn't breach the ‘line’. Vivek Gomber gets to play a heartwarming and an adorable character and he infuses life into it beautifully. It's also great to see how nicely he communicates with his silences. Of course, his dialogue delivery is spot on and same goes for Tillotama as well. In fact, both speak so impeccably that you feel like listening to them all day long! Geetanjali Kulkarni (Laxmi) is dependable as always. Bhagyashree Pandit (Choti) is decent. Chandrachoor Rai (Vicky; Ashwin's friend) makes his presence felt, especially in the pre-climax. Anupria Goenka (Ankita) is memorable, despite being in two (contrasting) sequences. Bachan Pachera (Tailor) is quite good. Rahul Vohra, Divya Seth Shah (Ashwin's mother), Dilnaz Irani (Nandita; Ashwin's sister), Alok Chaturvedi (Watchman) and Saharsh Kumar Shukla (Sabina's driver) are fair in their cameo appearances.
The songs 'Jeene Mein Kya Jaata Hai' and 'Zindagi Ka Feel' (Raghav Vagav) suit the narrative. Pierre Avia's background score is subtle and impactful. Dominique Colin's cinematography is splendid. The house scenes are well captured and in no time, one is able to more or less memorize the place. Also, it’s good to see that while most films are shot either in South Mumbai or the suburbs, this one is mostly set in the central part of the city. Parul Sondh's production design is appropriate. Kimneineng Kipgen and Chetna Rawat's costumes are straight out of life. Jacques Comets's editing is ideal for a film of this sort.
Some of the best scenes of the film:
1. Ashwin apologizing to Ratna for his sister’s behaviour
2. Ratna informs Ashwin about her past
3. Ratna saves Ashwin by lying on the phone (sweet scene!)
4. Ashwin and Ratna’s conversation in the kitchen about life in the USA
5. Ratna clarifies when Ashwin sees her trying her creation in his room
6. Ashwin gifts magazines and sewing china to Ratna
7. Ratna gifts a shirt to Ashwin
8. Ratna dances during Ganpati visarjan and the scene thereafter
9. Ratna and Ashwin at the rooftop
10. The last 20 minutes of the film
On the whole, 'Is Love Enough? - SIR' is India’s answer to Roma. It would have been pleasure watching it in a film festival with like-minded moviegoers and then clapping loudly when the credits would roll. A conversation with writer-director Rohena Gera post the screening would have been like an icing on the cake. Nevertheless, it’s great that it has been released in cinemas. Sometimes, it’s nice to watch such films on the big screen and not on an OTT platform. Do give it a try if it has been released in your city!
My rating - **** out of 5!
Coronavirus hits Bollywood; delaying new releases, jeopardising collections of those in theatres
8:18 AM
The rapid spread of the coronavirus has hit Bollywood, delaying new releases and jeopardising collections of those in theatres
Radhika Bhirani (HINDUSTAN TIMES; March 14, 2020)
The coronavirus pandemic has engulfed the entertainment industry worldwide. And India, too, has woken up to the threat. First, shooting schedules were disrupted, then came news that theatres in Delhi, Karnataka, Odisha, Kerala and Jammu and Kashmir have been shut till March 31. Now, the Akshay Kumar-starrer Sooryavanshi has been postponed from its March 24 release date to “when the time is right”. The actor has tweeted: “Because our safety always, always comes first. Stay safe and take care of yourself.”
Explaining the decision, Shibasish Sarkar, group CEO of the production house says, “We delayed the decision as much as possible. Not that we have any choice.” What about the Ranveer Singh-starrer ’83, another film from the same banner, set for an early April release? Sarkar adds, “We’ll take a call closer to the date. A lot of shoots are also cancelled as foreign technicians aren’t getting visas.” And there’s no word on the much-delayed Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar, slated to hit screens on March 20.
Experts say one can’t turn a blind eye to the Delhi market. Trade analyst Girish Johar says it is among the top two markets for the domestic theatrical business, while distributor Joginder Mahajan says it contributes 70% of the revenue from the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh territory. Theatres, he says, will also face the brunt. “But what can one do,” Mahajan rues.
After doing the rounds of film festivals worldwide, Sir, which was coming to India after a long wait, has also been postponed. Shiladitya Bora, who is spearheading its release in the country, says, “A major portion of our revenue collections would have been affected by Delhi theatres’ shutdown, so we decided this will be best.”
The biggest casualty, trade experts believe, will be Angrezi Medium, which audiences were eagerly waiting for due to Irrfan’s return after his illness. Nevertheless, its makers released it as scheduled yesterday, saying it will come in the remaining regions once theatres reopen.
Trade analyst Taran Adarsh points out that a chunk of the India business of the recent films, Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan and Thappad, has come from Delhi-NCR. He says, “Indian films are released far and wide, including in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South East Asia. The losses won’t just be in India.”
Tiger Shroff and Shraddha Kapoor’s Baaghi 3 released on March 6 and only got a week’s window before theatres were shut. But trade expert Komal Nahta says its collections have not been “adversely impacted”.
Meanwhile, theatres are optimistic despite the Covid-19 hiccup. As for the shoots, the Azerbaijan schedule of Salman Khan-Disha Patani’s Radhe was scrapped, as was a schedule of Tamil superstar Vikram’s upcoming Cobra, in Russia. The Spain and Italy shoots of OTT show Made In Heaven 2 has also reportedly been cancelled. A US tour that Hrithik Roshan was to go for, stands postponed too.
71st Cannes Film Festival: End of an era; Anupama Chopra writes
8:02 AM
Cancelled
press screenings, selfie ban, 82 women protesting gender disparity… in
the words of Fest director Thierry Frémaux, the event was ‘historic when
it shouldn’t be’
Anupama Chopra (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 18, 2018)
Between the official selection and the market, the 71st Cannes Film Festival screened hundreds of films but perhaps the most striking visual at the 10-day movie extravaganza was 82 women lined up on the steps on that world famous red carpet. These included Oscar-winning actress and head of the main competition jury Cate Blanchett, 89-year-old French director Agnes Varda (the only female director to be awarded an honorary Oscar by the Academy), other jury members such as Kristen Stewart and Ava duVernay, Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins and assorted women from varying fields of film, including our very own Nandita Das and Rasika Dugal. Incredibly all of them were protesting the festival.
Why 82? It’s the number of films by female directors that have premiered in competition at Cannes in the festival’s 71-year history. By contrast, 1,645 films by male directors have received the same honour. Only one woman, Jane Campion for The Piano, has ever won the festival’s top prize — the Palme d’Or. This year too, out of 21 films in the main competition, only three were directed by women. To complicate matters more, the festival remains steeped in tradition (one of my colleagues was turned away from a red-carpet screening for wearing silver sneakers). In the era of #TimesUp and #MeToo, these rules chafe and women decided to call out the festival — on the festival steps itself. Thierry Frémaux, General Delegate of the festival, called the event “historic when it shouldn’t be.” He said, “And yet it also means that it is the end of an era, the end of a cycle.”
Change was certainly in the air at Cannes. One of the biggest was the cancellation of the 8.30 am press screenings. There are approximately 4,000 accredited journalists at the festival. Until this year, critics would see the competition films every morning and reviews would be widely circulated before the red-carpet screening in the evening. So, filmmakers and actors would be forced to smile for the flashbulbs even after a critical drubbing. Instant reactions to films on social media made the situation even more fraught. This year, the morning press screenings were cancelled. Critics were shown films at the same time as the red-carpet screenings, which led to much moaning. Selfies and photography on the red carpet were also banned.
There was an overwhelming sense that the festival was slow and subdued. There was talk of brands cutting marketing spends and fewer splashy parties and functions. Halfway through the festival, the influential trade magazine The Hollywood Reporter carried an article titled ‘Cannes: 5 Signs of a Festival in Decline.’
Hollywood studios certainly seem to be rethinking their Cannes strategy. A few weeks before the festival kicked off on May 8th, Netflix pulled out, taking with it big-ticket titles like Alfonso Cuarón’s new film Roma. Though the festival juries featured A-list talent like Blanchett, Stewart and Benicio del Toro, the films in competition were less star-heavy and therefore the red carpet, less dazzling. The only big-ticket Hollywood film at the festival was Solo: A Star Wars Story. There was chatter of several major films not being screened at Cannes by design. The studios and sales agents backing them chose instead to go for the fall festivals — Toronto, Telluride and Venice — which gives the films, a better shot at the Oscars. The only best picture Oscar winners in the past 25 years to have debuted in Cannes are The Artist and No Country For Old Men. For the Academy Awards at least, Cannes is not an essential destination.
Interestingly, while the festival might be losing its allure for the West, Cannes is fast becoming a must-be-seen-at destination for the Indian film Industry. The two Indian films in official selection — Nandita Das’ Manto (in Un Certain Regard) and Rohena Gera’s Sir (in the sidebar Critics’ Week) played to strong reviews. The stars dazzled on the red carpet — this year, the regulars Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Sonam Kapoor were joined by Kangana Ranaut and Huma Qureshi. I met with all of them and the overarching theme seemed to be — own the red carpet by being authentic and having fun. “The endgame,” Deepika said emphatically, “is joy.”
Meanwhile Manoj Bajpayee and director Devashish Makhija were drumming up media for their new project Bhonsle. Dhanush promoted his first international venture — The Extraordinary Journey Of The Fakir. I spotted Subhash Ghai at the India Pavilion and filmmaker Q on the streets. I also bumped into a beaming Nawazuddin Siddiqui the evening before the Manto screening. Nawaz is a Cannes veteran but this time, he arrived in a new designer suit, made for the occasion by Manish Malhotra, who incidentally was also at the festival, representing an ice cream brand. CBFC chief Prasoon Joshi also attended as did representatives from over 100 Indian film establishments.
Undeniably, the Indian presence at the festival has increased exponentially since Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas re-opened doors in 2002. Brands are increasingly seeing the platform as a short-cut to visibility but until more Indian films create greater traction, the impact will be limited. Because no matter how much coverage the red carpet gets, Cannes is first and foremost about cinema. To be taken seriously here, we need more films than fashion.
Frémaux, discussing the selfie ban with The Hollywood Reporter, put it eloquently — “You don’t come to Cannes to be seen, but to see.”
Between the official selection and the market, the 71st Cannes Film Festival screened hundreds of films but perhaps the most striking visual at the 10-day movie extravaganza was 82 women lined up on the steps on that world famous red carpet. These included Oscar-winning actress and head of the main competition jury Cate Blanchett, 89-year-old French director Agnes Varda (the only female director to be awarded an honorary Oscar by the Academy), other jury members such as Kristen Stewart and Ava duVernay, Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins and assorted women from varying fields of film, including our very own Nandita Das and Rasika Dugal. Incredibly all of them were protesting the festival.
Why 82? It’s the number of films by female directors that have premiered in competition at Cannes in the festival’s 71-year history. By contrast, 1,645 films by male directors have received the same honour. Only one woman, Jane Campion for The Piano, has ever won the festival’s top prize — the Palme d’Or. This year too, out of 21 films in the main competition, only three were directed by women. To complicate matters more, the festival remains steeped in tradition (one of my colleagues was turned away from a red-carpet screening for wearing silver sneakers). In the era of #TimesUp and #MeToo, these rules chafe and women decided to call out the festival — on the festival steps itself. Thierry Frémaux, General Delegate of the festival, called the event “historic when it shouldn’t be.” He said, “And yet it also means that it is the end of an era, the end of a cycle.”
Change was certainly in the air at Cannes. One of the biggest was the cancellation of the 8.30 am press screenings. There are approximately 4,000 accredited journalists at the festival. Until this year, critics would see the competition films every morning and reviews would be widely circulated before the red-carpet screening in the evening. So, filmmakers and actors would be forced to smile for the flashbulbs even after a critical drubbing. Instant reactions to films on social media made the situation even more fraught. This year, the morning press screenings were cancelled. Critics were shown films at the same time as the red-carpet screenings, which led to much moaning. Selfies and photography on the red carpet were also banned.
There was an overwhelming sense that the festival was slow and subdued. There was talk of brands cutting marketing spends and fewer splashy parties and functions. Halfway through the festival, the influential trade magazine The Hollywood Reporter carried an article titled ‘Cannes: 5 Signs of a Festival in Decline.’
Hollywood studios certainly seem to be rethinking their Cannes strategy. A few weeks before the festival kicked off on May 8th, Netflix pulled out, taking with it big-ticket titles like Alfonso Cuarón’s new film Roma. Though the festival juries featured A-list talent like Blanchett, Stewart and Benicio del Toro, the films in competition were less star-heavy and therefore the red carpet, less dazzling. The only big-ticket Hollywood film at the festival was Solo: A Star Wars Story. There was chatter of several major films not being screened at Cannes by design. The studios and sales agents backing them chose instead to go for the fall festivals — Toronto, Telluride and Venice — which gives the films, a better shot at the Oscars. The only best picture Oscar winners in the past 25 years to have debuted in Cannes are The Artist and No Country For Old Men. For the Academy Awards at least, Cannes is not an essential destination.
Interestingly, while the festival might be losing its allure for the West, Cannes is fast becoming a must-be-seen-at destination for the Indian film Industry. The two Indian films in official selection — Nandita Das’ Manto (in Un Certain Regard) and Rohena Gera’s Sir (in the sidebar Critics’ Week) played to strong reviews. The stars dazzled on the red carpet — this year, the regulars Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Sonam Kapoor were joined by Kangana Ranaut and Huma Qureshi. I met with all of them and the overarching theme seemed to be — own the red carpet by being authentic and having fun. “The endgame,” Deepika said emphatically, “is joy.”
Meanwhile Manoj Bajpayee and director Devashish Makhija were drumming up media for their new project Bhonsle. Dhanush promoted his first international venture — The Extraordinary Journey Of The Fakir. I spotted Subhash Ghai at the India Pavilion and filmmaker Q on the streets. I also bumped into a beaming Nawazuddin Siddiqui the evening before the Manto screening. Nawaz is a Cannes veteran but this time, he arrived in a new designer suit, made for the occasion by Manish Malhotra, who incidentally was also at the festival, representing an ice cream brand. CBFC chief Prasoon Joshi also attended as did representatives from over 100 Indian film establishments.
Undeniably, the Indian presence at the festival has increased exponentially since Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas re-opened doors in 2002. Brands are increasingly seeing the platform as a short-cut to visibility but until more Indian films create greater traction, the impact will be limited. Because no matter how much coverage the red carpet gets, Cannes is first and foremost about cinema. To be taken seriously here, we need more films than fashion.
Frémaux, discussing the selfie ban with The Hollywood Reporter, put it eloquently — “You don’t come to Cannes to be seen, but to see.”
Rajit Kapur to play Sachin Tendulkar's coach Ramakant Achrekar in a docu-drama
7:15 AM
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; August 11, 2017)
Soon after Sachin Tendulkar's biopic attracted the eye of cinephiles and fans of cricket, the story of his mentor, legendary cricket coach Ramakant Achrekar, is set to be adapted for the big screen.
Actor Rajit Kapur, who is celebrated for his portrayal of the titular role in the Doordarshan series, Byomkesh Bakshi (1993) will play Achrekar in the docu-drama titled Sir, which is set to be helmed by National Award-winning director Pramod Purswane.
Confirming the development, Purswane tells mid-day, "Rajit and I have known each other for several years. This was the perfect opportunity to collaborate." The filmmaker adds that they have already commenced shooting a month ago, and is delighted that the actor closely resembles his protagonist. "He looks the part. Achrekar's students, especially Sachin, is helping Rajit understand the man. Rajit will be able to deliver what I imagined Achrekar felt when I heard about his stories from Sachin, Chandrakant Pandit, Pravin Amre and Suresh Shastri." Given the limited footage available on the coach, Kapur says essaying the part is a challenge. "I am trying to build him up from what I was told about him. It's such a thrill to be doing the role," he says.
The film will put the spotlight on Achrekar's training methods, and how he developed the skills of arguably the greatest cricketer in Indian history. "A film about the Mumbai sports scene is incomplete without chronicling his contribution. He was a man who was able to help his students despite his own monetary compulsions."
Achrekar's students, including Amre, Pandit, Amol Muzumdar, Ajit Tendulkar and Atul Ranade, will also talk about their mentor in the film, which has been in the making for three years. With the shooting set to wrap up next month, the makers are now eyeing a December 3 release, to coincide with Achrekar's birthday.
How Maharani Sadashiv Amrapurkar lost Sir to Bad Man Gulshan Grover
7:46 AM
Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 3, 2015)
Mahesh Bhatt had planned his 1993 gangster drama, Sir, with Sadashiv Amrapurkar playing the main baddie, Chhappan Tikli, and Gulshan Grover as his demented but dangerous younger brother, modeled on a character from The Godfather series. But just three days before the film was to roll, Sadashiv pointed out to Bhatt that in a crowd of 'serious' actors like Naseeruddin Shah, Paresh Rawal and him, a 'commercial' actor like Gulshan stood out and should be replaced.
When prodded, Bhatt though reluctant to speak ill about someone who is no more, admitted that it was true. "The facts don't change," he sighed. "It's true that after the success of Sadak and his character Maharani, Sadashiv had begun to feel that Gulshan was not on par with the so-called talent quotient of the rest of the cast, a statement which I thought was somewhat pompous and reeked of arrogance."
Unaware of this, Gulshan had got himself clicked wearing his son's bermudas and came to Bhatt with the photographs wondering if he'd got the 'look' of his character right. He was told that he had been elevated in the cast and would be playing Chhappan Tikli. "The set at Mukesh Mills is ready. We start shooting the day after tomorrow," Bhatt informed the astounded actor.
"After Sadak, Sadashiv was a saleable name with distributors and it was unthinkable for me to replace him. But the Bhatts have never been against 'commercial' actors who they believed were more popular with the audience," points out Gulshan, who got a two-hour briefing during which Bhatt told him that he didn't want him to play Chhappan Tikli like a regular villain. Instead he was a hero determined to avenge the death of his brother, who was stripped and hanged, by doing the same to rival ganglord Veljibhai's daughter. "The character I was to play earlier, was turned into a woman, Sweety, played by Sushmita Mukherjee, and I was told to use my 'genius quality' to translate the information into a visual."
Gulshan obliged by doing a photo shoot with Times of India photographer, Pradeep Chandra, wearing his own designer suits and getting his make-up man, Suresh Sharma to create the pox marks on his face using cosmetics.
"I realised instantly that unlike Ram Lakhan's outlandish, in-your-face bad man, Chhappan Tikli was more subtly menacing, someone you would steer clear of despite the outward gloss," says Gulshan, who incorporated Mahesh Bhatt's mannerism of whipping off his glasses when angry into the character.
The glasses, he used in the film, were a gift from an actress friend. And the only scene where he takes them off carefully is when 'Sir' Naseer comes to him proposing a truce with Veljibhai and Chhapan Tikli tells him quietly, "Tu yahan se vapas jayega kaise, yeh socha hai." After the scene, Naseer who was a dear friend and respected Gulshan as an actor, applauded his performance.
The quiet menace was what made Chhappan Tikli memorable. Gulshan remembers a scene where he meets with his six-feet plus henchmen, reprimanding them for losing to a rival. The scene that had been penned was a cliche which had him raging, ranting and firing bullets in the air randomly. Gulshan wasn't impressed and nor was Bhatt who told him to throw the page away and create something new.
"He told me I should be feeling as frustrated as a director whose leading man after giving them a day to complete his portions hasn't turned up all morning but whose unit was still happily sitting down to lunch, wondering what was for dessert. From that analogy, we worked out a scene whereby Chhapan Tikli quietly sits down to lunch with his men and then suddenly overturns the table asking them how they can eat and digest the food knowing what has happened before," reminisces Gulshan.
That gave not only his men but the audience plenty of food for thought.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)