Mohsin Hamid: Taking a hermit to a party and letting him dance

Vi segnalo l'intervista concessa da Mohsin Hamid a Eefa Khalid e pubblicata ieri da Dawn. Taking a hermit to a party and letting him dance:

'Was it hard to readjust the novel when it came to writing the screen-play? 

Very hard. I didn’t want to do it. I thought it would be best to stick to writing novels and leave the film to Mira [Nair]. But after two years, Mira couldn’t find anyone she thought could do the screenplay. Some people could write Wall Street but not Pakistan, others could get the desi context but not the corporate one. So she asked me to get involved. I wound up working closely with her and two other writers.

How different was it in collaborating with a screenplay writer? 

Completely different. But mostly I enjoyed it. Once I let go of control I was fine, because in a film it’s the director, not the screenwriter or the novelist, who gets to shape the final vision. (...)

When you’re writing a novel, do you have a specific physical description/perception for each character? And in the film are they similar or did you have to re-create them? 

I tend to keep physical descriptions of characters pretty spare. That way readers get to create them in their imaginations. So I didn’t really have a “mind’s-eye view” of my characters. More of a feel. And that feel was obviously going to be different from everybody else’s.

How involved were you in the filming process? 

I was involved, but more like a consultant rather than someone working on it full-time. I visited the sets and  gave feedback on the rough cuts of the film. I went to the Lahore recording sessions for the sound-track. Mira’s a very generous, inclusive film-maker. She regularly asked for my opinion. But a novel writer is part of the supporting cast in making a film, not the star. (...)

In these changing days and times, “The Reluctant Fundamentalist” is more relevant than ever, where would Changez be today? 

Ah, that’s for you to decide. The novel leaves his fate to the reader. With any luck, he’d have fallen for a sexy literature professor and be enjoying life in Lahore, except for the power cuts'.

Vedi anche Le prime del 17 maggio 2013: The reluctant fundamentalist, 11 maggio 2013

Jism 2 - Recensione

[Blog] L'impertinente Gilda si lancia in una recensione scherzosa del film pseudo - erotico Jism 2. Sunny Leone non le sta simpatica affatto... vogliate perdonarla.

Top 10 regional songs that became a national craze

Kadhalan

Il primo agosto 2012 The Times of India aveva condiviso una playlist da non perdere: dieci video di altrettanti magnifici brani tratti da colonne sonore di pellicole non hindi, brani che hanno spopolato in tutto il Paese. Fermo restando il mio amore incondizionato per il tormentone Why This Kolaveri Di? (per la cronaca: ad oggi, solo il primo video ufficiale ha registrato più di 60.500.000 visite! Se ancora non lo avete visto, allora siete ENORMEMENTE indietro e mi dispiace per voi), scorrendo la lista ho scoperto delle vere chicche. La canzone più bella? Chikku Bukku Rayile, composta da A.R. Rahman (da Gentleman, 1993, tamil. E ammiriamo Prabhu Deva in azione, via!). La più originale? Naaka Mukka (Female), di Vijay Antony (da Kadhalil Vizhunthen, 2008, tamil). La più delirante? Shakalaka Baby, di A.R. Rahman (da Mudhalvan, 1999, tamil, visualizzata da Sushmita Sen). La coreografia più pazzesca? Ringa Ringa, di Devi Sri Prasad (da Arya 2, 2009, telugu). Ma la palma della visualizzazione senza vergogna e del finale indimenticabile se l'aggiudica Mukkabla, di A.R. Rahman (da Kadhalan, 1994, tamil. Nel video Prabhu Deva balla, al solito, come un dio).

James Bond in India

Vi segnalo il divertentissimo articolo James Bond in India. Qualche opinione sul trash a Hollywood e a Bollywood pubblicato oggi da Marco Restelli.

Il cinema indiano e l'Italia: mappa delle locations

[Blog]  Una lista dalla A alla Z delle locations italiane che sono apparse, o a breve appariranno, in film hindi, telugu, tamil e bengali. Provvederemo a aggiornare e completare i testi mano a mano. Se  alcuni   titoli ci sono sfuggiti non esitate a scriverci per suggerircene la visione! Buon viaggio nell'Italia bolly-kolly-tollywoodiana!

Ajab Gazabb Love: locandina e trailer

Diretto dal regista di Dhoom 2 e parzialmente girato anche in Italia, Ajab Gazabb Love è un film attesissimo soprattutto perchè abbiamo seguito passo passo le sue riprese milanesi e toscane. Gustiamoci il trailer della commedia romantica, nel quale tutte le locations italiane sono già riconoscibili. L'appuntamento al cinema è per il 24 ottobre.

Vedi anche: Ajab Gazabb Love, le riprese a Milano

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai: Recensione

[Blog] Recensione di Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, mitico film del 1998 debutto del brillante Karan Johar, con gli amatissimi Kajol e Shahrukh Khan.

Sarocharu: le riprese in Italia

Kajal Aggarwal - Como, 2012

La troupe del film telugu Sarocharu nei giorni scorsi era nel nostro Paese per girare alcune sequenze. Sarocharu è diretto da Parasuram e interpretato da Ravi Teja e Kajal Aggarwal. Il 4 agosto 2012 il set è stato allestito a Como. Successivamente la troupe si è spostata a Milano (Piazza Duca d'Aosta, Navigli) e a Lecco. Caterina ci ha poi raccontato le riprese a Pisa (clicca qui). E per finire, l'8 agosto a Viareggio (lungomare, nei pressi del bagno Nettuno e del Gran Caffè Margherita). Di seguito una selezione di articoli, interviste, video e fotografie:

- Bollywood a Como. Ciak si gira in centro, A. Savini, La Provincia, 4 agosto 2012: 'A dimostrazione della grande popolarità che queste pellicole stanno conoscendo anche in Occidente, l'attore protagonista, il baffuto Ravi Teja, è stato riconosciuto da non pochi astanti mentre girava una rapidissima coreografia. Kajal Aggarwal è attrice di rara grazia e di sicura bellezza: come il suo partner è una vera e propria celebrità in India, una star assoluta che qui, in una Città Murata ieri calda e assolatissima durante le riprese, si aggirava indisturbata a fare shopping e a visitare il mercatino di piazza San Fedele tra un ciak e l'altro. Sì, perché le riprese dirette da Parasuram, sono state effettuate senza transennare, senza intralciare il passaggio, senza bloccare comaschi e turisti se non per i pochi secondi necessari. La troupe, composta da una trentina di persone, tutte indiane, ha lavorato dalle otto del mattino fino all'ora di cena passando rapidamente da piazza Cavour, portici Plinio, piazza del Duomo, piazza Verdi, via Vittorio Emanuele II, via Indipendenza, piazza San Fedele, via Adamo del Pero, via Cesare Cantù, via Fontana, lungolago Mafalda di Savoia e la diga foranea'.

- Video: Bollywood gira sotto la Torre di Pisa, Il Tirreno, 8 agosto 2012

- Teja, il divo di Bollywood: "Pronto per un film in Italia", Stefano Cassinelli, Il Giorno (Lecco), 12 agosto 2012:

'Si muove come una star sul set, accompagnato dal suo staff, appare chiaro, da come si pone, che per gli standard indiani è un bell’uomo sicuro del suo fascino. Ma Ravi Teja, uno degli attori più famosi in India, 45 film di successo all’attivo, ama dell’Europa soprattutto il fatto di non essere riconosciuto: «Potrei girare nudo per strada e nessuno mi riconoscerebbe, magari la polizia interverrebbe ma nessun fan verrebbe a dire guarda quello nudo è Ravi Teja». L’attore è in Italia per girare alcune scene del suo ultimo film che racconta dell’innamoramento tra il protagonista e una ragazza indiana e con allegria e simpatiche battute parla della sua esperienza nel vecchio continente.

Quindi la cosa che le piace dell’Italia è che nessuno la riconosce?

«Penso che funzioni anche in America il fatto di non essere riconosciuto, amo molto l’Europa in generale, ma quando si è molto conosciuti si apprezza il fatto di poter andare per strada senza essere guardati, fermati per gli autografi o le foto. Sia ben chiaro sono felice di avere tanti fan e di essere amato nel mio Paese, ma ogni tanto è bellissimo potersi sentire una persona libera e non sempre osservato in ogni cosa che fai. Basti pensare che non ho nemmeno Facebook perché mi va di mantenere la mia privacy».

Lei ha già girato diversi film in Europa?

«Sono già stato una decina di volta qui e quasi tutte le volte sono venuto in Italia. Mi trovo molto bene e adoro il vostro clima, in India è troppo caldo invece in Italia il clima è perfetto si sta benissimo. La prima volta in Europa era il 2003 ho visto diversi Stati tra cui anche la Germania, ci sono molte differenze tra una nazione e l’altra e moltissime rispetto all’India. Sono luoghi che mi affascinano, la gente è cordiale è bello qui si sta bene».

Attori e troupe quando vengono in Italia chiedono di avere cibo indiano invece lei no? 

«In Italia mangerei qualunque cosa, avete i piatti migliori al mondo, certamente i gusti rispetto ai piatti indiani sono molto diversi e so che tanti fanno fatica a cambiare ma il vostro cibo è una cosa eccezionale, anche se l’Italia non fosse così bella ci verrei solo per mangiare».

E per quanto riguarda le differenze culturali come riesce a lavorare qui? 

«Certamente ci dividono tanti chilometri e tanti modi di fare, ma in Italia e in Europa in generale non ho mai avuto nessun problema a lavorare, ci sono tantissimi professionisti che sanno quello che serve o lo gestiscono bene. Anche quando c’è qualche imprevisto gli italiani sono maestri nel risolvere con fantasia le emergenze. Poi quando si finisce di lavorare e si incontra la gente si trovano sempre persone gentili e disponibili, in tanti parlano l’inglese e sono pronti a dare una mano a uno straniero anche se non sanno chi sono».

Le piacerebbe fare qualche film italiano?

«Ci sarebbe il problema della lingua, ma potrei farlo in inglese e poi doppiarlo, certamente sarebbe una cosa professionalmente affascinante, ma poi diventerei una star anche in Italia e non potrei più andare in giro senza essere riconosciuto».'

Aggiornamento del 19 giugno 2022: video del brano Made for each other.

(Grazie ad Atif per le fotografie scattate a Como)

Ravi Teja - Como, 2012 (scatto di Atif)

Kajal Aggarwal - Como, 2012 (scatto di Atif)

Ravi Teja - Como, 2012

Kajal Aggarwal - Como, 2012

Ravi Teja - Como, 2012

Kajal Aggarwal - Milano, 2012

Ravi Teja - Milano, 2012

Kajal Aggarwal - Pisa, 2012

Viareggio, 2012

Viareggio, 2012

Kanamachi: le riprese a Viareggio

Secondo l'articolo La Cittadella e i carri del carnevale protagonisti di un film indiano, di Simone Pierotti, pubblicato da Versiliatoday il 7 agosto 2012, la troupe del film bengali Kanamachi quel giorno era a Viareggio per effettuare alcune riprese presso la Cittadella del Carnevale, con i mitici carri come sfondo. Kanamachi è diretto Raj Chakrabarty.

The making of new Pakistani cinema - With help from India

Qualche mese fa vi avevo annunciato Zinda Bhaag, il film pachistano interpretato da Naseeruddin Shah (clicca qui). Oggi vi segnalo l'articolo The making of new Pakistani cinema - With help from India, di Meha Mathur, pubblicato da Business of Cinema il 9 agosto 2012. Il testo riporta le dichiarazioni  rilasciate dal produttore e dai registi di ZB. Scopriamo così alcuni aspetti interessanti relativi non solo alla genesi della pellicola ma anche alla nuova scena cinematografica pachistana: 'It was a challenge to go for a feature film in Pakistan. The whole film industry has collapsed. No technical facilities are available. Nor are actors available. (...) As acting talent was not handy, they invited Naseeruddin Shah to conduct workshops with non-actors. The film (...) takes up the sensitive issue of illegal immigration, a burning topic in Pakistan. As the team researched on the reasons for youngsters taking the risk of illegal migration and visited neighbourhoods in Lahore to meet such youngsters, they realised that there were areas where each family had a story to tell. The topic was too close to these youngsters and their families and thus it made sense to cast these youngsters in the film, aided by some training in acting'. Quanto ai titoli del nuovo cinema pachistano 'were equally popular as any mainstream entertainment film and these bold subjects were, in fact, financially viable. Also, the categorisation between multiplex audiences and single-screen audiences was not as stark as in India, they said. They, however, admitted that in the absence of organised financing for new cinema, it remained to be seen if this movement could sustain. An interesting aspect of filmmaking they highlighted was a vibrant trend of very small budget movies in regional languages like Saraiki and Pashto, shot on small digital cameras and released in neighbourhoods. (Il produttore) emphasised that as state support for the film industry dried up over the decades, something else emerged: a thriving DVD and CD industry showing regional films to families at home. (...) Claiming that government apathy, excessive taxation and strange censorship laws had led to the downfall of the Pakistani film industry in the first place, the team claimed that new funding was coming primarily in the form of family investments and foreign investment. Also, new TV channels are coming in to finance the new film ventures'.

Numero Unos - A survey of the top hit films: 2000s

Vi segnalo l'articolo Numero Unos - A survey of the top hit films: 2000s, di Rajiv Vijayakar, pubblicato da Bollywood Hungama il 6 agosto 2012. Parliamo degli anni che vanno dal 2000 al 2009. Difficile decretare il numero uno del decennio, dal momento che 3 idiots (2009) è sì il primo e unico - ad oggi - membro del favoloso 200 crore club (1 crore = 10.000.000), ma, sulla base di alcuni fattori (inflazione, differenza nel prezzo del biglietto, eccetera), sembra che Gadar (2001), distribuito oggi, ne avrebbe incassati 350! Comunque sia, nel 2008 Ghajini apre le danze inaugurando il 100 crore club. Anche solo dall'analisi dei titoli campioni d'incassi si ricava la caratteristica tipica della filmografia del decennio, soprattutto della seconda parte: un notevole balzo in avanti nei budget, nelle strategie, nelle ambizioni crossover e nella qualità tecnica, ma anche l'affermazione di una nuova cinematografia indipendente e d'autore che riesce persino ad influenzare molti prodotti e registi di intrattenimento. Le distinzioni si sgretolano. Le aziende si sostituiscono ai produttori singoli limitando (almeno si spera) il campo d'azione degli investimenti mafiosi. Il pubblico apprezza generi vari e non solo il tradizionale masala: l'horror Raaz è il campione d'incassi nel 2002, la pellicola fantascientifica Koi... Mil Gaya lo è nel 2003 (ex aequo con Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.), il thriller erotico Murder sbaraglia tutti nel 2004. Sono gli anni del fascinoso Hrithik Roshan (Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai, 2000; Koi... Mil Gaya, 2003; Dhoom:2 - Back in Action, 2006). Ma anche Aamir Khan non scherza con Ghajini (2008) e 3 idiots (2009).

'The Top Guns

In terms of footfalls, it was a clear-cut triumph for Anil Sharma's Gadar - Ek Prem Katha (2001), a Sikh-Muslim love story set against the backdrop of Partition - its 75 crore-plus collections, inflation adjusted, would probably reach around Rs 350 crore today. It started the trend of round-the-clock shows to meet demands in Punjab! However, in terms of actual collections (as ticket rates had been hiked by multiples) Rajkumar Hirani's 3 Idiots (2009), a comedy with a message leads at Rs 220 crore. The millennium also saw the first-ever 100 crore film, A.R. Murugadoss' 2008 vendetta thriller Ghajini. 

Corporate companies entered the film world and gradually replaced more personalized financing, including that of the underworld. What was interesting, with big prestige involved, is the way the smaller films that had greater ROI (return on investment) ratios were sidelined due to the huge overall business of the biggies. So though Murder, an erotic thriller directed by Anurag Basu, was rightly called the biggest hit of 2004 despite Main Hoon Na and Dhoom, a year later in 2005, Kyaa Kool Hai Hum lost to No Entry (both were interestingly sex comedies, though of contrasting kinds), while in 2008, Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na (a rom-com) made way for Ghajini (interestingly both connected with Aamir Khan as co-producer of the first and hero of the second!) as the latter collected over 110 crore - the first-ever Hindi film to cross the 100 crore mark.

The remaining years saw the following Numero Unos:

2000: Rakesh Roshan's Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (KNPH), a crime drama 

[2001: Gadar]

2002: Vikram Bhatt's Raaz, a supernatural thriller

2003: Rakesh Roshan's Koi... Mil Gaya (KMG) a sci-fi story on an alien and Rajkumar Hirani's Munna Bhai M.B.B.S., a 'medical' comedy (in a tie)

[2004: Murder

2005: No Entry]

2006: Sanjay Gadhvi's Dhoom:2 - Back in Action, an action caper 

2007: Farah Khan's Om Shanti Om (OSO), a reincarnation drama

[2008: Ghajini

2009: 3 idiots]

A diverse spectrum

The kind of films that topped in individual years saw a complete spectrum from original to remakes - at one end was Koi... Mil Gaya, Hindi cinema's first tryst with the sci-fi genre with aliens. Though Rakesh Roshan was clearly inspired by E.T., he adapted and Indianized it wonderfully and made the film's alien, Jadoo, a lovable creature no one would ever forget. Also a film with a pinch of inspiration and everything otherwise original and rooted was Munna Bhai M.B.B.S., India's first comedy on the medical profession - a common genre abroad. Both films jointly topped 2003 and were among the most refreshing entertainers of the millennium. Such was the excellence of the later (Rajkumar Hirani easily is the finest director to come in the entire decade) that the film was not only remade in multiple Indian languages but also the first Indian film officially licensed for a Hollywood remake, which however has yet to take off.

At the other end was Roshan's own Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai, which made Hrithik Roshan a mega-star with the best launch any actor's son has got since Rishi Kapoor in Bobby. The plot was, however, smartly reworked from the 1984 flop Jhutha Sach starring Dharmendra. (...) OSO was an open tribute to Subhash Ghai's Karz and its climax was recycled from Madhumati. No Entry and Ghajini were official South remakes, which have now become endemic. Murder 'adapted' a Hollywood thriller, and if Raaz, Murder, Koi... Mil Gaya, Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. and No Entry set off a train of sequels, Dhoom:2 - Back in Action was itself the second in its franchise.

Starry ascent

Hrithik Roshan remained the superstar discovery of the millennium, though most his super-hits were made by his father. In a dream debut, the actor played a dual role in KNPH and was cast as a physically-challenged man in Koi... Mil Gaya. But in his third film in this list, he did a 180-degree flip as the razor sharp crook of Dhoom:2, the arch criminal who is always that one step ahead of the cops.

Amisha Patel scored a unique feat by being the heroine of the biggest hits in two consecutive years, Kaho Naa... and Gadar, also her first two films. After his, thanks to a variety of factors, her career nosedived. Arshad Warsi got a new lease of life and Sanjay Dutt consolidated his comic image with Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.. The Bhatts made new talent their special forte - Dino Morea got his first hit in Raaz, which also consolidated the career of Bipasha Basu, while Emraan Hashmi and Mallika Sherawat got career-defining roles in Murder. Deepika Padukone, like Hrithik, made her debut in a dual role in OSO, where Shah Rukh was also in a double role. (...) Asin made her Hindi debut in Ghajini, the first of her now four films in the "100-crore club." Incidentally, Bipasha Basu played twin sisters in Dhoom:2. Aamir Khan was the only actor apart from Hrithik to have more than one film in the Numero Uno list. Among the heroines, Bipasha Basu scored the highest (Raaz, No Entry, Dhoom:2).

Rakesh Roshan (Kaho Naa..., Koi... Mil Gaya) narrowly missed a Numero Uno hat-trick in Krrish, which lost to Dhoom:2 that had higher global collections vis-à-vis a lesser budget. Like him, Raju Hirani also had two films in this list (Munna Bhai M.B.B.S., 3 Idiots), both produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, and so did the Bhatts - Mukesh Bhatt produced and Mahesh Bhatt wrote both Raaz (...) and Murder. Reliance Entertainment was the first corporate entity to strike big - Ghajini and 3 Idiots. Eros came in with OSO. (...) It is interesting to know that except for Gadar, Raaz, Munna Bhai M.B.B.S., Ghajini and 3 Idiots, the other six films were home productions of at least one of the actors in their casts - Murder coming from Emraan's uncles, the Bhatts! Rajesh Roshan, by association, came into both the Roshan films, but the lead was taken by Anu Malik with Munna Bhai M.B.B.S., Murder and No Entry in three consecutive years. (...)

Technically, Hindi films forged ahead by leaps and bounds. Shooting abroad became common, and whether the film was a romantic film, action-based or message-oriented, up market humour became a compulsory ingredient. Music went down in importance, but we still had good scores in most of the films. The music and lyrics of 3 Idiots stood out for their thematic perfection while KNPH and OSO had well-rounded scores.

Films suffered an identity crisis in the millennium, and three diverse schools emerged, of the dark, noir kind of European-inspired films like Dev. D and Omkara, realistic high-concept films like A Wednesday! or Taare Zameen Par and the classic Hindi film kind. But the latter clearly kept ahead in the race. As always, it was all about entertainment'.

Vedi anche:

- Numero Unos - A survey of the top hit films: 1950s. Il testo raccoglie i link a tutti gli articoli della serie.

- 2005-2010: successi del cinema hindi contemporaneo

The underrated sixties in films

Vi segnalo l'articolo The underrated sixties in films, di Sharmistha Gooptu, pubblicato da The Times of India il 6 agosto 2012: 

'The 1960s were a unique and transitional moment of Hindi cinema. It is a period in Indian film history, which hasn't received as much attention from writers as has the periods immediately preceding and the decade that followed. It was an era of immense versatility, which however remains overwhelmed by the immediate post-Independence era of the 1950s (...) and the iconic angry young man years of the 1970s and 1980s. (...) The 1960s' films were often unashamedly upper-middle class, and showed the luxury of plush living rooms with grand pianos, richly upholstered sofas and carpets, fancy cradle telephones, clubs and parties, dancing, picnics and hill stations. It was when the first Indian films started being shot abroad, in exotic foreign locales. (...) Yet, the 1960s' 'entertainment' of Hindi films was not without its subtext. At a time when the optimism of the immediate post-Independence years was waning given the realities of life, but had still not become the popular discontent of the 1970s, Hindi films provided a vicarious pleasure to many, going against the Nehruvian diktat of nation and nationalism. In an era of austerity and import-substitution where the average person was told to think and consume 'Indian', Hindi cinema supplied a bold alternate culture. It worked not through overtly challenging the dominant discourse but by simply drawing a whole generation into a very cosmopolitan culture of unashamed consumption. In no other period were Hindi films and stars so obviously 'inspired' by Hollywood films. (...) Helen, the vamp of the era did it best perhaps, carrying off the latest international fashion trends, hairdo and all. It was derivative, no doubt, but also immensely liberating'.

Vedi anche Numero Unos - A survey of the top hit films: 1960s

Mayakkam Enna : Recensione

[Blog] Recensione di Mayakkam Enna (2011) film drammatico diretto da Selvaraghavan, con Dhanush e Richa Gangopadhyay. 

Aishwarya Rai: campagna pubblicitaria Kalyan Jewellers

La donna più bella del mondo è tornata sul set per la prima volta dopo la nascita della sua primogenita. Si tratta della campagna pubblicitaria commissionata da Kalyan Jewellers. Godiamoci lo spot e queste splendide immagini dell'unica vera diva indiana: Aishwarya Rai.

Tollywood a Piazza dei Miracoli

L'industria cinematografica in lingua telugu si mostra sempre più affezionata all'Italia e negli ultimi anni un numero consistente di pellicole sono state girate nella nostra Penisola, la notizia non può farci più felici. Il quotidiano Il Tirreno riporta che da ieri pomeriggio la troupe di Sir Vacharu ha iniziato a girare a Pisa in Piazza dei Miracoli, i protagonisti del film sono Ravi Teja e Kajal Aggarwal, l'attore è già stato in Valle d'Aosta e in Liguria per Devudu Chesina Manushulu e Kick mentre l'attrice ha appena completato le riprese milanesi di Baadshah. La società "Occhi di Ulisse" sta curando la selezione delle comparse, il numero dei candidati pare stia crescendo in modo esponenziale. Se la prima tappa è stata Como (maggiori info qui) e la seconda Pisa,  la troupe si sposterà nei prossimi giorni in Versilia, probabilmente al Lido di Camaiore. Cancellate invece per motivi logistici le riprese al Polo Fibonacci e al Campus Praticelli, inizialmente scelte dagli organizzatori.

Himmatwala : La locandina

Dopo il successo del suo ruggente Singham Ajay Devgan tenta nuovamente un supermasala coi fiocchi e si affianca ad un' altra stella del Sud : la bella Tamannaah. Il film sarà il remake del blockbuster telugu di K. Raghavendra Rao Orikki Monagadu (1981) con Krishna e Jaya Pradha e del film omonimo uscito nel 1983 i cui protagonisti sono Jeetendra e Sridevi . La regia è di Sajid Khan e l'appuntamento per marzo 2013. The 80's are back! Il conto alla rovescia ha inizio...

In which Annie gives it those ones

Ecco una vera chicca per i fan di Shah Rukh Khan: il video integrale di In which Annie gives it those ones, film in lingua inglese per la televisione del 1989 nel quale il Re, agli inizi della sua sfolgorante carriera, ha un piccolo ruolo (con Manoj Bajpayee). Il regista è Pradip Krishen. La sceneggiatura è redatta nientemeno che da Arundhati Roy - che recita anche nella pellicola. La storia, ambientata negli anni settanta del secolo scorso, racconta le vicende di alcuni studenti di architettura, ed è parzialmente autobiografica: Arundhati è laureata proprio in quella disciplina. In which Annie gives it those ones si è aggiudicato due National Award: per il miglior film in lingua inglese e per la migliore sceneggiatura.

Paan Singh Tomar: Recensione

[Blog] Recensione di Paan Singh Tomar (2012), film che si è candidato a diventare uno dei più importanti dell'anno. Diretto da Tigmanshu Dhulia, con Irrfan Khan e Mahi Gill.

Melbourne International Film Festival 2012

L'edizione 2012 del Melbourne International Film Festival si svolge dal 2 al 19 agosto. I titoli indiani in cartellone sono Gangs of Wasseypur e Miss Lovely.

Numero Unos - A survey of the top hit films: 1990s

Vi segnalo l'articolo Numero Unos - A survey of the top hit films: 1990s, di Rajiv Vijayakar, pubblicato da Bollywood Hungama il 26 luglio 2012. Finalmente incontriamo nomi di attori e registi in attività ancora oggi, ma soprattutto incappiamo in uno dei titoli leggendari della storia del cinema hindi: Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. Inutile precisare che la pellicola è campione d'incassi del decennio, oltre ad aver infranto ogni record al mondo di programmazione (ha ormai celebrato le 800 settimane - avete letto bene). La coppia Kajol-Shah Rukh Khan conquista il pubblico indiano anche con Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (campione d'incassi nel 1998). Il trio regale dei Khan - Aamir (Dil e Raja Hindustani, campioni d'incassi nel 1990 e nel 1996), Salman (da protagonista in Saajan e Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!, campioni d'incassi nel 1991 e nel 1994) e Shah Rukh (DDLJ e KKHH) - si accinge a regnare su Bollywood. I registi (e sceneggiatori) Aditya Chopra e Karan Johan debuttano e incendiano il botteghino con DDLJ e KKHH. Particolarità: il campione d'incassi nel 1997 è Border, considerato ancora oggi uno dei migliori film di guerra in lingua hindi. L'articolo non li cita, ma vorrei ricordare:

- Rangeela (1995), clamoroso esordio a Mumbai del vulcanico regista Ram Gopal Varma, proveniente dall'industria telugu, e del geniale compositore tamil A.R. Rahman;

- la splendida Aishwarya Rai debutta su grande schermo nel 1997 con Iruvar (tamil), diretto dal mitico Mani Ratnam. 

'The Top Guns

It was a clear-cut triumph for Yash Chopra's 1995 Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge directed by his son and directorial first-timer Aditya Chopra, in this decade. The closest film that came to it was the 1994 Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! directed by Sooraj Barjatya. The other eight toppers were

1990: Dil, a love story directed by Indra Kumar

1991: Saajan, a love triangle directed by Lawrence D'Souza

1992: Beta, a family drama directed by Indra Kumar

1993: Aankhen, a crime caper directed by David Dhawan

[1994: Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!

1995: Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge]

1996: Raja Hindustani, a love story directed by Dharmesh Darshan

1997: Border, a partly dramatized real war story directed by J.P. Dutta

1998: Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, a love story marking the debut of Karan Johar and

1999: Biwi No. 1, a rom-com-cum-melodrama on infidelity directed by David Dhawan.

The derivative angle, however, increased a bit, and we are not talking just about the South remakes Dil, Beta and Biwi No. 1. Aankhen mingled elements of (...) Do Phool [1973], Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (HAHK) was a skilful reinvention of the (...) '80s flop Nadiya Ke Paar and Raja Hindustani was a rehash of Jab Jab Phool Khile. Border, refreshingly, was a dramatized version of the battle for Longowal during the 1965 Indo-Pak war, and it became the first-ever Indian war film to mention Pakistan as the enemy. It is still considered the best Indian war film ever along with Chetan Anand's 1965 Haqeeqat.

Whizkid directors

With the media proliferating and various major changes happening, the decade became known as that of the whizkid directors - let us not forget that only 10 days of the 50-week run of Sooraj Barjatya's 1989 Maine Pyar Kiya happened in the '80s because of its late December release. When Sooraj's new film Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!'s quantum of success made Maine Pyar Kiya look like an average grosser (it ran for 150 weeks), and a year later Aditya Chopra came up with what is known India's longest-running film (now in matinee shows past the 800th week!!), the stage was set for directors to become brands as big as, if not bigger than, stars. Both these whizkids came from well-known film industry families and the hat-trick was completed by a third film industry scion, Karan Johar in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.

Interesting all top directors in the '90s with the exception of Lawrence D'Souza (Indra Kumar and David Dhawan bagged two films each) had at least one relative already established in the film industry. Kumar and Dhawan were brothers of actors Aruna Irani and Anil Dhawan, the '70s star. Dharmesh Darshan was the son of filmmaker Darshan [Sabharwal], while J.P. Dutta was the son of writer-director O.P. Dutta, who wrote the dialogues of his film Border. D'Souza, however, was himself known as a gifted cinematographer before Saajan, his second directorial effort.

The Barjatyas as a clan, however, taught a thing or two about marketing to the industry. HAHK was the first film whose Home Video rights were withheld for six months or so after the film's release. This boosted the theatrical revenue. DDLJ started the Punjabi-ization of Hindi films, showcasing the culture in so alluring a light that from music to characters and lyrics to dialogues and locations, Punjab has dominated post-1995 cinema in a far bigger manner when Punjabi filmmakers and actors had been holding sway for decades!

HAHK and DDLJ also opened up the overseas territory for Hindi cinema as never before, and DDLJ made overseas shooting endemic. Soon, NRIs (non-resident Indians), especially stationed in Europe and USA, were the protagonists of rooted Indian stories. While Aditya openly admitted to inspiration from Sooraj, the fact remained that the Indian wedding became a huge cinematic attraction. More importantly, HAHK and DDLJ conclusively proved that a simple story could be made into a terrific film just by the lethal combo of a great director, super music (and lots of it!!), attractive stars and above all - that true hero of a film - the perfect screenplay where the three vital Quotients of Entertainment, Emotional and Intelligence were mixed in perfect proportions! Sooraj and Aditya themselves wrote their film scripts and soon big-name directors began to prefer writing or co-writing their own scripts, a trend that continues even today. (...)

Star breakthroughs

Star breakthroughs happened too. Aamir Khan got his first outside hit and follow-up to Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak with Dil, ditto Salman Khan with Saajan. Kajol's stardom was consolidated with DDLJ, (...) and Rani Mukherjee and Sushmita Sen got their careers on track with, respectively, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Biwi No. 1. DDLJ and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai consolidated SRK and Kajol as the new magic pair of the '90s. The two had a flop free tally with two other blockbusters, Baazigar (1993) and Karan Arjun (1995), which was the first runner-up to DDLJ that year. Salman Khan and Madhuri Dixit also came up with two winners - Saajan and Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!. Madhuri Dixit and Anil Kapoor came up with Beta four years after the '88 topper Tezaab. Individually, Dixit was the uncrowned Queen Bee with Dil, Saajan, Beta in a hat-trick and HAHK. Karisma Kapoor (Raja Hindustani, Biwi No. 1) and Kajol (DDLJ, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai) had two films each. Tabu had Border and Biwi No. 1. Salman Khan managed four films (Saajan, HAHK, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Biwi No. 1) and Aamir Khan (Dil, Raja Hindustani) two. The ruling Khan troika had made its impact, but no one knew that they would rule for more than a decade after the '90s too. Anil managed he solo Beta and the multi-hero Biwi No. 1. (...)

The runners-up

The runners-up showed a trend away from action and crime for most of the decade. 1990's second biggest hit was Ghayal, 1991 had Phool Aur Kaante, 1992 had Deewana, a violence-studded love triangle, 1993 saw Khal Nayak, 1994 had Krantiveer, 1995 had Karan Arjun and 1996 had Agni Sakshi. It was only in 1997 that Dil To Pagal Hai lost to Border, 1998 saw a rom-com Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha in second place, while 1999 saw Hum Saath-Saath Hain, as much a melodrama as Biwi No. 1 with four lead stars (Salman, Saif, Karisma and Tabu) (...) in common!

Mixed melody

Hit music rather than excellent melodies got bigger importance, despite (...) Jatin-Lalit's brilliant DDLJ and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. (...) The tendency seemed to be more towards a single chartbuster that sold the album, like (...) 'Pardesi Pardesi' from Nadeem-Shravan's Raja Hindustani. (...) Sony Music entered the Hindi film scene with Kuch Kuch Hota Hai'.

Vedi anche Numero Unos - A survey of the top hit films: 1950s. Il testo raccoglie i link a tutti gli articoli della serie.

Children's genre in television

Little Krishna

Il 21 luglio 2012 Box Office India ha pubblicato un interessante articolo dedicato ai programmi televisivi per ragazzi e alle loro potenzialità pubblicitarie. Nel 2011 il 18,3% del pubblico televisivo fra i 4 e i 14 anni ha seguito questo genere di programmi. In totale 48 milioni di spettatori, il cui 85% preferisce i cartoni animati. La lingua è nel 76% dei casi l'inglese, ma sta crescendo a vista d'occhio la domanda per programmi in hindi e in altre lingue indiane. In particolare, i programmi per ragazzi in tamil sono seguiti più dei programmi informativi. L'offerta è suddivisa fra quattordici canali. Sun TV Network nel 2007 aveva lanciato Chutti TV, un canale per ragazzi in tamil; nel 2009 Kushi TV in telugu e Chintu TV in kannada; nel 2011 Kochu TV in malayalam. Nel 2011 Maa TV Network ha lanciato il suo primo canale per ragazzi, Maa Junior, in telugu. Sempre nel 2011, Cartoon TV e Pogo hanno trasmesso 25 mila episodi di programmi d'animazione. Nel 2012 Discovery Kids ha inaugurato le sue trasmissioni, e si propone di soddisfare anche le richieste locali.  I ragazzi oggi godono di un accesso sempre maggiore alla rete, quindi cresce l'interazione. I canali per ragazzi hanno creato siti internet appositi e profili nei social network. Ovviamente questi canali devono offrire contenuti anche per adulti, dal momento che il 66% dei genitori guarda la televisione con i figli. E il 20% del pubblico che guarda canali per ragazzi è di età compresa fra i 25 e i 44 anni. La pubblicità si adegua: nel 2011 il 35-40% degli spot su Cartoon Network e Pogo era relativo a prodotti per adulti.

Le prime dell'8 agosto 2012: Gangs of Wasseypur II

L'India è in fibrillazione: la seconda parte di Gangs of Wasseypur, il film fenomeno del 2012, viene finalmente distribuita nelle sale. Vi segnalo i video dei brani Chhi Chha Ledar (interpretato dalla dodicenne Durga - un nome, un programma), Electric Piya e Kaala Rey. Il trailer è a dir poco magnifico. Cosa aggiungere? Peccato non essere a Mumbai.

Aggiornamento del 12 agosto 2012 - Vi segnalo di seguito alcune recensioni:

- The Times of India, 10 agosto 2012, ****: 'This time it's double the dollops of gore; two much. Booming guns and metal-shredded innards spilling gut onto the streets. More revenge and rage. More gangs and more bangs (...) and more man-power. With every shade of red, black and grey - deeper and bolder. (...) Anurag Kashyap's culmination to this gang-saga is as bloody as the first (if not more); yet it's an easier watch. The story is astutely interspersed with bursts of music (Bihari folkish tunes with a modern twist), humour (crass and rural), high drama and sudden relief - like a sexual climaxing. Even with a high quotient of brutal violence and moral assassination, Kashyap keeps his sense of humour (mostly black) intact, and entertains. With characters named 'Perpendicular', 'Definite', (...) 'Tangent' - he truly defies all tiresomely tried-and-tested formulas of filmmaking in Bollywood with his 'big bang-bang theory'. Though in spurts, it unleashes scenes that make you crack up, in true Bollywood style humour. (...) Nawazuddin Siddiqui spells doom, is devious and highly-dramatic - yet you take to his character almost instantly. He brilliantly blazes through this role, from being as strong or as shallow as his character demands. (...) With excellent performances, a screenplay that's strung together beautifully (....) a revenge story that touches a dramatic crescendo and music that plays out perfectly in sync with tragic twists of tale - GOW II is an interesting watch, for the brave-hearted. Like the first part, the movie slows down at times (with pointless pistols, hordes of characters and wasted sub-plots); the length needs to be shot down desperately. But otherwise, it's revenge on a platter - served cold (heartedly) and definitely worth a 'second' helping'.

- Taran Adarsh, Bollywood Hungama, 7 agosto 2012, ****: 'Murky, menacing and petrifying and yet witty, GOW II is one intriguing expedition that's several notches above the foremost part. Strengthened by exhilarating acts and stimulating plot dynamics, this is a transfixing motion picture that confiscates your complete concentration. In fact, this cartridge-ridden chronicle is immensely praiseworthy and commendable for a multiple viewing, only to grasp all its fine characteristics to the optimum. (...) On the facade, GOW II is a vengeance story. (...) Scrape that exterior and you'll notice more than that. The writing is unrestrained and imaginative. In fact, in terms of its screenplay, there is not a single scene in the film that leaves you with a sense of deja vu. (...) On the whole, GOW II is an Anurag Kashyap show all through and without an iota of doubt, can easily be listed as one amongst his paramount works. An engaging movie with several bravura moments. Watch it for its absolute cinematic brilliancy!'.

- Raja Sen, Rediff, 8 agosto 2012, *** 1/2: 'Kashyap, in pulling out all the stops, seems content here to let his madcap characters actually enjoy themselves a great deal, making for a far sillier - and decidedly more joyous - cinematic universe. (...) Kashyap's visual flair has just grown with each film, and this one is not just cinematically self-assured but also highly nuanced'.

- Tehelka, ***: 'Like the precocious child too aware of being cute, GOW is ultimately irritating. It’s not the cuteness or the precociousness that is the problem, it’s the awareness. Anurag Kashyap is a canny filmmaker. He knows what audiences will respond to, but he is so pleased with this knowledge that he can’t resist yet another slowmotion sequence, yet another film reference, yet another spray of too vivid blood, yet another character with yet another defining tic. (...) Sneha Khanwalkar’s unquestionably cool soundtrack is so overused, it punctuates the film like a giddy schoolgirl might punctuate a text message or tweet: “OMG!!!!! GoW ROCKS!! 2 gud!!! Nawazuddin is SOOO CUUTTEE!!!!” There are so many exclamation points, you long for the restraint of the full stop, the courtesy of the comma. (...) As with GOW I, GOW II careens from scene to scene like a drunk driver between lanes, the tone at once portentous, bawdy, abrasive, comic, earnest: the film amounts to much less than the sum of its often violent, often tender, often funny, often spectacular parts'.

- Mayank Shekhar, 8 agosto 2012: 'Few actors in recent years have managed to morph into characters the way Nawazuddin (Siddiqui) has. His everyman looks and incredible command over his demeanour helps him achieve a level of transition that makes every other leading man you’ve met at the movies this year seem like monkeys - imitations, either of others, or their own selves. You’re equally stunned by the casting (...) for the rest of the film. Each piece, right down to the toothy thanedar, fits in brilliantly across a saga phenomenally mined by (the) story writer. (...) Over the past few years, the kind of talents Anurag Kashyap has managed to attract and inspire as both producer and director makes him India’s top film school of his own. He’s rightly the fan-boy’s ultimate filmmaker. Director Ram Gopal Varma used to play this role before. This is doubtlessly Kashyap’s best work yet. (...) The director is interested in detail, whether in the step-by-step procedure of murder on the street, or booth-capturing, or sweetly mulling over seductive moments. He’s clearly mastered the pop-corn art of sensational killings and colourful dialogue. The reason you prefer this sequel to the first installment, besides it being more contemporary is, well, this is where the beginning ties up with the end. You get a full sense of the film’s ambitions. You leave the theatre feeling satiated, slightly rejuvenated, but mostly heavy in the head. You realise the picture might have hit you with a rod. Clearly that was the intention'.

- Sarit Ray, Hindustan Times, 10 agosto 2012: 'GOW II is less like a movie sequel, more like the season finale of an ongoing (and admittedly, engaging) TV series. (...) In Kashyap’s pulp-fiction version of the Jharkhand mafia wars, violence is fundamental. It’s graphic, easy and often without deliberation. The gravity of death is replaced by an ironical matter-of-factness: the cries of mourning are drowned out by the cheap noise of a brass band. Cinematic realism pervades, not only in the film, but in the minds of its characters. (...) The movie plays out amid political and financial machinations - illegal scrap metal trading, election rigging - not unheard of in Jharkhand. Yet, it would be a mistake to judge Wasseypur for factual correctness. Kashyap shows familiarity with this world in his attention to detail - the typical Hindi accents, the Ray Ban shades, the pager. But they enhance the flavour rather than the facts. Wasseypur is as much a celebration of small-town India as it is a sinister revenge tragedy. If the subject wasn’t so gory, you’d call it charming'.

Vedi anche Le prime del 22 giugno 2012: Gangs of Wasseypur I

Jism 2: recensioni

Erano anni che non mi divertivo così tanto scorrendo recensioni cinematografiche. Temevo commenti moralistici, invece la visione di Jism 2 ha solleticato il lato burlone dei critici indiani. La pellicola di Pooja Bhatt è stata letteralmente demolita con dosi industriali di umorismo. Ed è risaputo: l'ilarità uccide l'erotismo. (Nel film Sunny Leone sfoggia biancheria sexy a mucchi, pure in coda all'ufficio postale, ma tutto lo staff concorda con Caterina: la vera pornostar in Jism 2 è Randeep Hooda. Figo. Supremo).

- Rediff, Sukanya Verma, 3 agosto 2012, * 1/2: '(Sunny Leone) delivers her lines with the concentration of an impassive newsreader rattling off cue cards on the screen. She has the body but not the racy persona required to hit the sensual notes. (...) At best, it's just a blank, expressionless parade of rehearsed intimacy featuring an entire catalogue of seductive poses and salon-polished skin playing against various artists' bland soundtrack, which is better suited for exotic spa or honeymoon package commercials. Hollowness, not audacity, is Jism 2's real problem. (...) Moreover, it's impossible to concentrate on anything except the dialogues, which are so, SO cheesy, it'll split your sides. (...) It's like Sunny Leone's assets are the script, screenplay and sole purpose of Jism 2 and everyone outside that - Hooda, Singh, Zakaria or the audience - is obliged to wag their tongues with thrill'. 

- The Film Street Journal, *: 'The good: ? Let’s pass this one. The bad: The film unintentionally changes its genre to comedy because of some atrocious dialogues mouthed by a bunch of freaks who breathe lust. (...) The main problem is that it doesn’t even fit in the official porn category which is supposed to be unpretentious, emotionless and brainless. Jism 2 actually has pretentions of having a brain. Take any scene, any emotion, and Sunny Leone is directed to breathe through it. Yes, breathe heavily for obvious reasons. The only switch in Sunny’s expressions is in the range of her breathing speed. Normally a gifted actor, Randeep Hooda has nothing much to do except to look like a maniac'. 

- Mayank Shekhar, 3 agosto 2012: 'The predominantly male audiences at my theatre surely didn’t come to this film for its stars, songs or story-line. (...) Viewers probably walk in for the leading lady and the lovemaking. Several female actors in cinema exist merely to excite a wet dream. In a sexually repressed India, this is a social service of sorts. (...) The only thing they needed to get right with Ms. Leone’s acting is the dubbing. They made sure even that’s off. She sits or stands in every conversation, heavily breathing in and out her silicone implants, nervously twitching her eyebrows. It’s hard to tell what she plays in the movie. (...) This is good enough script for a pornographic pic. By the time you hit the climax, of the film of course, you realise, there was hardly more sex in it than any other skin flick, and you had to sit through two growling naked guys (Arunoday, Randeep) and a psycho boss (Arif Zakaria) instead, babbling over international terrorism. Audiences are known to giggle at uncomfortable sex scenes. They laugh here at the heroes’ serious dialogues, in chaste Urdu, cooking up obscure conspiracy theories. This is the entertainment we deserve'. 

Rowdy Rathore: Recensione

[Blog] Recensione di Rowdy Rathore, scoppiettante film d'intrattenimento diretto da Prabhu Deva. Protagonisti Akshay Kumar e Sonakshi Sinha.

Trisha & Rana Daggubati : Southscope Agosto 2012

La romantica copertina di Southscope di agosto è dedicata a Trisha e Rana Daggubati, i due attori proprio in questi giorni sembrano confermare le voci della loro relazione. Un lungo articolo è inoltre dedicato a Sekar Kammula, regista di Leader, film mi debutto di Rana, attualmente impegnato nelle riprese del suo nuovo lavoro, Life is Beautiful, atteso per il 2012.