16 dicembre 2014

Qissa, The Tale of a Lonely Ghost : Recensione


[Blog] Recensione di Qissa: The Tale of a Lonely Ghost, bellissimo film di Anup Singh con Irrfan Khan, Tillotama Shome, Tisca Chopra e Rasika Dugal. Film che ha aperto la retrospettiva dedicata ad Irrfan Khan nell'edizione del River To River FIFF appena conclusa.

13 dicembre 2014

River to River Florence Indian Film Festival : I vincitori della 14a edizione


Ieri sera presso il Cinema Odeon si è chiusa la 14a edizione del River to River Florence Indian Film Festival. Ecco i vincitori delle tre categorie in concorso: 

Longometraggio : Sold the Movie, diretto da Jeffrey D. Brown, tratto dal romanzo di Patricia Mc Cornick Sold. Storia di una ragazzina nepalese venduta a un bordello di Kolkata. Tra i produttori della pellicola l'attrice inglese Emma Thompson.

Sold the Movie

Cortometraggio : Hechki, diretto da Kartik Singh, delizioso short movie girato a New York il cui protagonista è un venditore di rose bengalese stressato da un lunghissimo attacco di singhiozzo.

Hechki

Ducumentario: Chronicle of a Temple Painter, di Shravan Katikaneni, storia di un pittore di immagini sacre hindu che decide di crescere una bambina musulmana sopravvissuta ad un attacco terroristico a Hyderabad. 

Chronicle of a Temple Painter

La manifestazione ora si sposa a Roma presso il Nuovo Cinema Aquila dove, nella giornata di oggi, 13 dicembre, e di domani, saranno proiettate le pellicole vincitrici e una selezione dei titoli della rassegna fiorentina appena conclusa.

9 dicembre 2014

Irrfan Khan ospite d'onore del River to River



[Blog]  Irrfan Khan ospite d'onore della 14a edizione del River to River ha partecipato alla manifestazione per ben tre giorni, il 6 dicembre per la conferenza stampa e l’apertura del festival, il 7 dicembre per la premiere italiana di Qissa seguita dall’incontro con il pubblico in presenza anche del regista Anup Singh, e l’8 dicembre per la prima proiezione in Italia di Paan Singh Tomar, capolavoro di Tigamanshu Dhulia.  L’attore, elegante e casual, fin dal primo giorno ha incantato tutti con l’intensità del suo sguardo e con la sua presenza.
Sul palco del Cinema Odeon, il 7 dicembre, prima che venisse proiettata la prima pellicola della sua retrospettiva  il sindaco di Firenze Dario Nardella ha onorato Irrfan Khan consegnandogli le chiavi della città.

19 novembre 2014

Vellaiyilla Pattathari : Recensione


[Blog] Recensione di Vellaiyilla Pattathari (2014), il nuovo film con la star tamil Dhanush diretto dal debuttante Velraj. Nel cast anche Amala Paul e Saranya Ponvannan.

3 novembre 2014

Jatt & Juliet : Recensione


[Blog] Recensione di Jatt & Juliet (2012), simpatica commedia romantica della cinematografia in lingua punjabi. Con Diljit Dosanjh e Neeru Bajwa. Diretto da Anurag Singh.

22 ottobre 2014

Humpty Sharma ki Dulhania : Recensione


[Blog] Recensione di Humpty Sharma ki Dulhania, film romantico con Alia Bhatt e Varun Dhawan. Diretto dal debuttante Shashank Shukla al suo debutto cinematografico per la Dharma di Karan Johar.

8 giugno 2014

Dil Dhadakne Do: le riprese in Italia

In questi giorni la troupe di Dil Dhadakne Do, il nuovo film diretto da Zoya Akhtar, è in Italia per girare alcune sequenze. Gli attori hanno visitato diverse località (Napoli, Roma, Firenze, Portovenere), e puntualmente condiviso fotografie e commenti. Ad esempio, Farhan Akhtar ha scritto: 'The view down the Arno from Ponte Vecchio, Florence... art, culture, food at its Italian best'. E Deepika Padukone (non scritturata per la pellicola) è stata avvistata a Capri, dove ha raggiunto il fidanzato Ranveer Singh. Completano il cast Anil Kapoor, Shefali Shah, Anushka Sharma e Rahul Bose.

Anil Kapoor

Priyanka Chopra a Portovenere

Anushka Sharma


Le prime del 6 giugno 2014: Filmistaan

Divertentissimo il trailer di Filmistaan, pellicola vincitrice di un National Award per il miglior film hindi, già proiettata (e premiata) in un numero infinito di festival (la lista provoca qualche capogiro), ed ora, grazie a UTV Motion Pictures (#santisubito), finalmente in distribuzione nelle sale indiane. Complimenti al regista Nitin Kakkar.


24 maggio 2014

Le prime del 18 luglio 2014: Pizza

Non capita spesso che un film horror indiano venga ben accolto da pubblico e critica, varchi i confini nazionali, e si guadagni persino una recensione italiana positiva. È il caso di Pizza, pellicola in lingua tamil distribuita nel 2012, diretta dall'esordiente Karthik Subbaraj. UTV Motion Pictures e Bejoy Nambiar presentano ora il remake in hindi, diretto da Akshay Akkineni. Eccovi il trailer. Per non parlare dell'originale trovata promozionale di UTV: a fine testo, la (ehm) pizza recapitata a giornalisti e critici indiani.... Nel 2013 era stato distribuito il remake in lingua kannada dal titolo Whistle.

Riporto di seguito la recensione dell'originale tamil firmata da Diego Garufi e pubblicata da Everyeye il 2 gennaio 2014:

'È certo difficile etichettare un film come Pizza inscrivendolo all'interno di un solo genere. Infatti nella pellicola di debutto del regista Karthik Subbaraj ci troviamo di fronte ad una miriade di generi che vengono apparentemente inseriti alla rinfusa ma che seguono invece una ben precisa strutturazione. (...)
Subbaraj (...) mostra una buona capacità tecnica e riesce a dosare al meglio i colpi di scena inseriti nell'arco dell'intero film. Tutto accade per una ragione e sebbene ci siano alcune caratteristiche tipiche di un certo cinema regionale indiano che non possono essere eliminate, (...) il film scorre molto bene. Ciò che rimane ostico per il pubblico internazionale è il continuo cambio di registro con improvvisi passaggi da scene dal tono fortemente horror a scene quasi comiche. Cambi a cui il pubblico indiano è avvezzo e che anzi esige, portando così alla conseguente autarchia del cinema indiano, che gode di una distribuzione internazionale molto scarsa proprio a causa di questa differenza nella fruizione di un certo cinema spettacolare.
Pizza è un'operazione commerciale che ha modificato la percezione del cinema dell'orrore in India. Un'operazione quasi delirante per la quantità di cambi di genere che accadono nell'arco di sole due ore. Dalla commedia romantica all'heist movie passando per il thriller e l'horror fino al crime investigativo. Il tutto senza soluzione di continuità. Eppure questo amalgama schizofrenico funziona egregiamente, nonostante qualche inciampo nella parte iniziale che però guadagna un maggiore significato in rapporto agli eventi nella seconda metà della pellicola. Un film che merita di essere visto, nonostante le difficoltà che si possono avere se non avvezzi a questo cinema'.


23 maggio 2014

Bollywood Spectacular

Dal 14 al 15 giugno 2014 approda a Brescia il Bollywood Fest, evento dedicato alla danza indiana e bollywoodiana organizzato da Harem Danza. In programma seminari di ballo e lo spettacolo Bollywood Spectacular, ospitato dal Teatro Santa Giulia il 14 giugno alle ore 21.00. 

12 maggio 2014

Le prime del 16 maggio 2014: The Xposé

Himesh Reshammiya, compositore e cantante di successo, riprova a dar lustro alla sua carriera d'attore, sinora meno fortunata. Giusto per non lasciare nulla al caso, coinvolge in quest'avventura un mostro sacro come Irrfan Khan (#respect) e la popstar indiana più famosa, Yo Yo Honey Singh (#respect), al suo debutto sul set di una pellicola bollywoodiana. Li affianca il bravo Adil Hussain. Bizzarro progetto quello del film The Xposé, la cui storia è ambientata nel mondo del cinema hindi degli anni sessanta. Il trailer lo definisce the biggest vintage musical thriller. Dirige Anant Mahadevan, regista di Red alert - The war within e soprattutto di Mee Sindhutai Sapkal, opera in lingua marathi pluripremiata ai National Award. Ovviamente la colonna sonora è composta ed interpretata da Himesh, che, non contento, firma pure il soggetto e collabora alla stesura della sceneggiatura. E il nostro Yo Yo? Interpreta diversi brani, fra cui il magnifico Ice Cream Khaungi, sublimato da una visualizzazione superpatinata (me ne sono innamorata, ve lo dico, e potrei ascoltarlo all'infinito), Hai Apna Dil Toh Awaara e Surroor. Magari The Xposé è il flop dei flop dell'anno. Magari una deliziosa sorpresa. Chissà. In attesa di accertarlo, godiamoci il sound originale e accattivante di Reshammiya in una colonna sonora davvero notevole. Vi propongo anche i video delle canzoni Catch me if you can e Dard Dilo Ke (Reprise) (a cui presta la voce persino Irrfan Khan!).




10 maggio 2014

Sharmila Tagore: Filmfare 19 agosto 1966

[Archivio

Filmfare, il celeberrimo periodico indiano in lingua inglese dedicato al cinema hindi, inaugurò le pubblicazioni nel lontano 1952. Vi propongo la copertina del numero del 19 agosto 1966, forse la più famosa in assoluto nella storia della carta stampata del subcontinente. Grande scalpore fece Sharmila Tagore, l'attrice che per prima osò indossare un bikini per lo scatto di copertina. Sharmila è la madre di Soha Ali Khan e di Saif Ali Khan. 
Ecco cosa scrive M.J. Akbar nel suo romanzo Fratelli di sangue: ''Sopravvissi al 1967 grazie al bikini di Sharmila Tagore. (...) Vidi Sharmila Tagore in bikini mentre, in stato di grazia, stavo tornando dall'ufficio di Desmond; mi sembrò una ricompensa divina per il mio duro lavoro. Era sulla copertina di Filmfare, la più popolare rivista di cinema indiana. Quel bikini fu una rivoluzione. Era la prima volta che una stella appariva così scoperta, e quell'audacia aprì così tante falle nel senso del pudore della borghesia indiana che alla fine l'antico retaggio s'inabissò senza neanche un piccolo gorgoglio. Ormai anche le brave ragazze delle famiglie per bene potevano apparire sensuali'. 

Aggiornamento dell'8 ottobre 2015: vi segnalo l'articolo The first bikini cover, pubblicato oggi da Filmfare. Di seguito un estratto:
'It was the ‘60s and young India was progressing rapidly in all spheres. Along with that progressed the Hindi movie industry and one such example was this controversial yet iconic Filmfare cover of Sharmila Tagore. A memorable cover for which the actress, looking ravishing as ever, donned a bikini with nonchalance and posed for renowned photographer Dhiren Chawda. With this cover, she became the first Indian actress to pose for a magazine cover in a two-piece bikini. The issue hit the stands on the 19th of August 1966 and her bold move went on to create controversies like no other. So much so that it even raised questions in the Parliament. After becoming a raging success in Bollywood, 22-year-old Sharmila shot for this cover just a couple of weeks before she got married to handsome cricketer and royalty, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi.
The actress had walked in to the studio and when photographer Dhiren Chawda asked her what she would like to wear, the actress promptly pulled out a two-piece floral bikini out of her bag and said that she’d be wearing that. Years later when asked about what was going on in her mind when she made that decision, she said, “Oh! God, how conservative our society was back then! I’ve no idea why I did that shoot. It was just before I got married. I remember when I showed the two-piece bikini to the photographer he asked me, “Are you sure about this?” In some of the shots, he even asked me to cover my body. He was more worried than I was but I had no qualms doing that shoot. Only when people started reacting strongly to the cover, was I taken aback. I was puzzled as to why they didn’t like the picture. I thought I looked nice. Some called it a deliberate move to grab eyeballs; others termed me as ‘astutely uncanny’. I hated that. Maybe, there was an exhibitionist in me, as I was young and excited to do something different”. 
That year alone she was seen in five movies and gave some of her most memorable performances. Rebellious move that it was the actress set a stone with this cover that sent out a strong message that India too can be sensuous. And how!'.

Farhan Akhtar: Tension Kyun Lete Ho Yaar

Farhan Akhtar è la celebrità di Bollywood dotata del maggior numero di talenti: regista, attore, produttore, sceneggiatore, cantante, paroliere, conduttore televisivo, eccetera. Nel 2008 Rock On!! lo aveva imposto all'attenzione del grande pubblico non solo come attore ma anche come cantante. Akhtar e la sua band, Farhan Live, hanno da poco concluso un trionfale mini tour in alcune località dell'Asia meridionale. Ieri è stato caricato in YouTube quello che probabilmente è il primo video di un brano musicale di Farhan Akhtar non incluso nella colonna sonora di un film. Si tratta di Tension Kyun Lete Ho Yaar, canzone composta da Ehsaan Noorani e Loy Mendonsa del celebre trio SEL, il cui testo è stato redatto dallo stesso Akhtar. Il video è in realtà un lungo spot pubblicitario realizzato per conto di Yepme, sito di shopping online di cui Farhan è testimonial.

Farhan Live


9 maggio 2014

Le prime del 9 maggio 2014: Mastram

Con l'eccezione del citatissimo Kanti Shah, poco o nulla trapela della produzione softcore indiana, sia cinematografica che editoriale. Ultimamente, però, l'argomento - piuttosto in voga negli anni ottanta - ha stuzzicato l'interesse di alcuni registi (v. The dirty picture e Miss Lovely). È ora la volta di Mastram, diretto dall'esordiente Akhilesh Jaiswal, già sceneggiatore di Gangs of Wasseypur. La pellicola è la biografia fittizia di Mastram, scrittore di culto di narrativa softcore in lingua hindi. In realtà pare che Mastram non sia mai esistito, o meglio, che dietro questo pseudonimo si celassero diversi autori sconosciuti. Trailer

Vi segnalo l'articolo The Mastram effect: Erotica comes of age in Indian cinema, di Urmimala Banerjee, pubblicato da Mid-Day il 2 marzo 2014:
'Out in the open Akhilesh Jaiswal (...) says, “Like many young North Indian men, I too grew up reading Mastram’s books. I used to wonder how this guy would be like and what would he be telling people about his profession. It was just a thought that later formed the base for my film. We did a lot of research but could not find any links to the ‘actual’ Mastram. Most of the old bookstalls that sold his stuff had shut shop or the owners had died, so I could not establish any contact.” Working on a film based on the life of a porn writer would not have appealed to many Bollywood heroes but Jaiswal says that the initial reaction wasn’t that negative either. “I did not approach any big star but 90 per cent of those I asked were kicked about the script. When Nawaz (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) heard it, he loved it and so did Rajkummar Rao. Unfortunately, they could not be a part of the film due to other commitments”.'



4 maggio 2014

Bollywood vs. Jihad

Katrina Kaif in Tees Maar Khan
[Archivio

Vi segnalo il curioso articolo Bollywood vs. Jihad, firmato da Shikha Dalmia e pubblicato da Reason nel numero di agosto-settembre 2011. Può il soft power di Bollywood contrastare l'avanzata del fondamentalismo islamico? L'8 settembre 2011 Il Foglio aveva pubblicato la traduzione in italiano del pezzo. Di seguito un estratto dal testo originale:

'Islamic fundamentalists have long worried about the threat that Bollywood poses to their puritanical demands. Of late, they have even taken to making videos - rap videos, no less - condemning Bollywood movies as being the product of an infidel culture trying to brainwash Muslims against their own religious values and duties. They have ample reason to be worried. About 3 billion people, or half the planet, watches Bollywood, and many of them live in the Islamic world. By depicting assimilated, modernized Muslims, Bollywood - without even trying - deromanticizes and thereby disarms fanatical Islam. (...)
The kind of Western soft power that proved so crucial in bringing down the Soviet empire - jazz, Hollywood, the Beatles - is arguably less relevant in the struggle against fundamentalist Islam. American culture, despite its alleged ubiquity, doesn't have the same resonance in Eastern countries that don't share the West's ethnic, religious, and cultural background. While hip hop and heavy metal have helped inspire some of the street protesters demanding more freedoms across the Middle East and northern Africa, outside of the hardcore early adopters these cultural subgenres remain more voyeuristic than aspirational. Their popularity arguably stems more from a curiosity about how exotic people in alien countries live than from an inclination to emulate them.

That isn't true of Bollywood. India's flamboyant, campy, kitschy film industry is rooted in heritages, values, aesthetics, and geographies shared with much of the Muslim world. The Middle East is Bollywood's third largest overseas market. Many Bollywood movies now hold their premiers in Dubai. (...)
Disaffected youth throughout the unfree Muslim world see in Bollywood a glimpse of the pleasures, colors, and riches available in a world with more liberty. Among the first businesses to open after the Taliban fell in Afghanistan were movie theaters showing Bollywood films. Even at the height of the Taliban's repression, shopkeepers kept a secret stash of undestroyed film star posters that they would barter for food and goods. (...)
The Muslim country most in the grip of Bollywood mania is Pakistan, India's cultural twin in every respect but religion. The more aggressively that Pakistani authorities have tried to purge it from their soil, the more Bollywood's popularity has grown. During the country's four-decade-long ban on Indian movies, Pakistanis watched them via satellite dishes and smuggled VHS tapes. When the ban was finally lifted in 2008, the Bollywood scene in Pakistan exploded. Not only have Bollywood movies been playing to packed houses, but Indian movie stars are treated like demigods, despite Islam's taboo against idol worship. The latest fad among Pakistan's urban nouveau riche is Bollywood theme weddings in which the bride and groom dress in outfits worn by a particular movie's stars and hold their wedding reception in elaborate tents constructed to resemble movie sets.

It's hard to emulate - and adulate - a cultural form while simultaneously rejecting its message. And Bollywood's message is profoundly at odds with the strictures of Islamic extremism. At the simplest level, women who don Bollywood outfits, even when adapted for more modest sensibilities, are resisting the Islamic strictures that would shroud them in a burqa. At a deeper level, Bollywood movies offer a compromise between tradition and modernity that resonates with ordinary Muslims while subverting Islamist designs.
Take romantic movies. You might have expected Hollywood's more sexually explicit romances to pose a bigger threat to puritanical Shariah law than Bollywood's tamer approach. You'd be wrong. Both Hollywood and Bollywood idealize true love that conquers all. But the obstacles that Hollywood couples face - previous lovers, infidelity, commitment phobia, baggage from broken marriages - have little to do with the concerns of people in traditional Muslim countries. They can relate far more with Bollywood's paramours, whose chief impediment is familial objections, given that arranged marriage is still a revered institution in that part of the world. (...)

Veer-Zaara portrays the tension between the possibilities of modernity and the demands of tradition, offering a resolution that accommodates both. It affirms the right of young men and women - not their parents or families - to decide their own romantic fate. But it does so without demanding the wholesale jettisoning of religion, tradition, or family. Zaara's original journey to India to dispose of her caregiver's ashes conveys her piety, love, and deep respect for her elders, all prized virtues in traditional, religious cultures, Islamic or Hindu. What's more, Veer and Zaara don't simply thumb their noses at Zaara's family and run off to Las Vegas. That would have delegitimized their cause. They pursue a much harder balancing act. Zaara does not dishonor her family or reject its claims on her. But she breaks away from her husband, choosing instead to be single.
Bollywood, then, encourages young lovers to follow their heart by persuading their families of the rightness of their cause, not by turning their backs on them. It seeks to realize romantic love not outside the broader structure of faith and family but within it, at once reforming and affirming key social institutions - a resolution that legitimizes Muslim reformers against Islamist reactionaries. Bollywood is at once both progressive and conservative, a combination that appeals to Muslim youth.
Veer-Zaara was released when Pakistan had not yet lifted its ban on Bollywood. But it became an underground cult hit there anyway. By depicting ordinary Pakistanis, if not their government, as decent, honorable, family-oriented people, the movie flattered one of its key audiences. Pakistani athletes who happened to be in India when the movie was released reportedly watched the film at a special screening and spilled into the theater aisles to dance and clap along when Veer performs an obligatory fantasy dance sequence on a bus rooftop.

There is another key reason for Bollywood's appeal to the Islamic world. Since its inception, some of the Indian film industry's biggest stars, both male and female, have been Muslims. Currently, the three highest grossing male leads are Muslims, all with the recognizably Muslim surname Khan. Bollywood's most respected music composer - A.R. Rahman - (...) is also a Muslim, as are many of Bollywood's best lyricists and screenwriters.
The success of these Bollywood Muslims has profound implications for the emergence of a moderate Islam. They have a very different attitude toward their faith than the one prescribed by radical Islamists. Some industry professionals are more religiously observant than others, and movie gossip circles are always abuzz over which member of the Khan troika is more serious about the faith. It's widely reported that Salman Khan (...) eschews alcohol and that Shah Rukh Khan (...) fasts to observe Ramadan. But ultimately the faith of Bollywood's Muslims is about personal spiritual elevation, not subordination to Taliban-style medievalism. Rahman, the composer, is a devout Sufi who prays five times a day - not because he is trying to popularize Islam's rigid strictures but because, as The Times of India puts it, it helps him "release his tension and gives him a sense of containment."
The best Sufi music these days is arguably coming not from the Mideast but from the Indian subcontinent, thanks in no small part to Bollywood Muslims. By showcasing these artists and their work, the Indian film industry demonstrates to Muslims everywhere that adapting to modernity does not require them to abandon their faith and traditions. In fact, it can be a vehicle for preserving and promoting them.

None of this satisfies hardcore Islamists, of course. But their vitriol at (...) Bollywood's many (...) transgressions has little resonance with the industry's Muslims. Shah Rukh, who has one billion fans across the world, in fact has made it something of a personal crusade to take on clerics who question his faith or try to impose on him their rigid version of Islam. "Jihad [meaning 'inner struggle'] was supposed to be propagated by the Prophet himself," the actor told CNN-India. "Now two versions of Islam exist. There is an Islam from Allah, and very unfortunately, there is an Islam from the Mullahs." 
But at the same time Shah Rukh criticizes extremists, he uses his stardom and artistic platform to convey the legitimate concerns of ordinary Muslims to the rest of the world. For example, his 2010 film My Name Is Khan depicts the indignities to which American Muslims have been subjected post-9/11, especially through racial profiling. As if to prove his point, immigration officials at Newark Liberty International Airport detained and questioned Shah Rukh for several hours when he came to America to promote the movie.

America's reliance on hard power stems from a subconscious fear that, without it, there will be nothing left to counter the spread of Islamic extremism. But hard power's inevitably blunt application makes distinguishing between extremists and nonextremists nearly impossible, thus alienating the very people America needs to enlist on its side. Pakistan has borne the brunt of Washington's hard power, from the constant drone attacks to the infringements on its sovereignty during Osama bin Laden's killing. And the more America has deployed its hard power, the more that anti-American sentiment has grown among ordinary Pakistanis. (...)
But even as Pakistan's resistance to America's drones and raids has grown, its resistance to Bollywood's soft power has crumbled. The extremists who find sympathetic audiences when directing fire and brimstone toward the Great Satan are powerless to prevent Pakistanis from consuming Bollywood blasphemies'. 

3 maggio 2014

Spazio: ultima frontiera del cinema indiano?

Aishwarya Rai in Enthiran
[Archivio

Sto per offrirvi una vera chicca. Nel luglio 2011 Aelfric Bianchi pubblicava per Forma Cinema il breve saggio Spazio: ultima frontiera del cinema indiano?, nel quale analizzava il rapporto fra fantascienza e produzione cinematografica popolare. Di seguito un estratto:

'Koi... Mil Gaya. (...) Raro esempio di convergenza tra successo di pubblico e alto apprezzamento della critica. (...) Ponendo in atto un'intelligente ed equilibrata mediazione tra istanze artistiche ed esigenze di mercato, non rinnega i tipici stilemi della cinematografia popolare, (...) ma li padroneggia con sapienza e originalità e li sfrutta come mezzo di trasmissione di un messaggio forte, impegnato e impegnativo, in linea con la tendenza della nuova Bollywood, che (...) si avvale proprio degli stereotipi dei masala movies per veicolare contenuti difficili a platee tradizionalmente poco inclini ad accogliere novità troppo rivoluzionarie. (...) Koi... Mil Gaya rielabora elementi di un genere definito come la science fiction alla luce della sensibilità e della cultura indiana, in perfetta adesione all'eclettico sincretismo che caratterizza - a tutti i livelli - lo spirito del Subcontinente. Esemplificativo in tale prospettiva è l'espediente adottato per giustificare la venuta sulla Terra degli extraterrestri, richiamati da un segnale radio molto particolare: la sillaba mistica Om, ripetuta, in infinite varianti, da un mirabolante elaboratore elettronico.

Tale fu il successo del film, pur così anomalo nel panorama bollywoodiano classico, da generare un sequel, Krrish, (...) lodato dalla critica e accolto con straordinario calore dal pubblico. (...) Questo secondo capitolo (...) è assurto al rango di autentico fenomeno di costume, giustificando appieno l'etichetta di cult movie. Un colossal per molti versi epoch-marking, a buon diritto considerato capofila di un filone nuovo per il cinema indiano, ma assai popolare in ambito hollywoodiano: il Superhero movie. (...) 

Krrish può vantare ormai diversi epigoni, ma anche un illustre antesignano: Mr. India. (...) Il film, tra i maggiori successi degli anni Ottanta e ancor oggi oggetto di un'affezione tanto intensa da sfiorare l'adorazione religiosa da parte di folte schiere di fan, è il primo Superhero movie indiano e, sorprendentemente, a dirigerlo è Shekhar Kapur, il regista che, con Bandit Queen, inaugurò un'autentica rivoluzione copernicana nel policromo ma in ultima istanza immobile mondo di Bollywood, imprimendo una svolta epocale che avrebbe indotto molti registi commerciali a rinunciare ai suoi più tipici stilemi, a cominciare dalle canzoni e dalle coreografie faraoniche, senza tuttavia astenersi da un utilizzo mirato e funzionale del linguaggio e dei valori del pubblico tradizionale. Un autore poliedrico e proteiforme, (...) che ha saputo acquisire grande notorietà anche in Occidente, (...) ed evidenziando sempre una incoercibile e talora persino violenta carica innovatrice e dissacratoria. (...)

Alla logica commerciale del mainstream sembra invece sottrarsi il film Deham, (...) del veterano Govind Nihalani.  (...) Il film coniuga fantascienza e impegno sociale. Amara e dolente riflessione sui conflitti economici, politici e culturali tra mondo capitalistico e paesi poveri e sulle loro conseguenze potenzialmente devastanti, si allinea piuttosto all'ideologia della nuova Bollywood. (...) In una cupa e soffocante Mumbai del 2022, Om Prakash, un giovane disoccupato, è indotto dalla disperazione ad accettare l'offerta della Interplanta, una multinazionale che opera illegalmente nel settore dei trapianti su commissione di ricchi clienti: vendere i propri organi in cambio di una vita agiata per la sua famiglia. Falsificando il proprio stato civile per firmare il faustiano contratto (la società per evitare complicazioni giuridiche ammette infatti soltanto donatori single), pone le basi di una progressiva e inesorabile discesa agli inferi: alla frustrazione della moglie Jaya, costretta a fingersi sua sorella, si aggiunge la sconvolgente scoperta che le parti asportate verranno sostituite con elementi artificiali, trasformandolo in un ibrido uomo-macchina, un cyborg. Dominato da atmosfere fosche e intriso di un claustrofobico pessimismo, Deham ribadisce la propria estraneità al circuito nazionalpopolare adottando la lingua inglese. (...) Nonostante l'accoglienza tiepida del pubblico e della critica, anche in virtù di scelte stilistiche non sempre convincenti e di effetti speciali rozzi e artigianali, il film rappresenta comunque un esperimento di grande interesse e originalità, documentando altresì la crescente attenzione dedicata da Bollywood alla science fiction'.

For real: locandina e trailer

[Archivio] For real è un film in lingua inglese del 2009 scritto, diretto e prodotto dalla regista Sona Jain. Nel cast Zoya Hasan, Sarita Choudhury e Adil Hussain. Il trailer è talmente intrigante e la trama talmente singolare, che ne resterete ammaliati. 

Deepika Padukone a Milano: pubblicità Van Heusen

[Archivio] Maschietti: mantenete la calma perché l'occasione di incrociare la bellissima Deepika Padukone è scaduta da mesi. Nel settembre 2013 l'attrice era a Milano per la campagna pubblicitaria commissionata da Van Heusen.





Priyanka Chopra: I can't make you love me

Il 29 aprile 2014 è stato caricato in rete il video di I can't make you love me, la nuova canzone interpretata da Priyanka Chopra. Il brano è una cover dell'originale omonimo di Bonnie Raitt, incluso nell'album Luck of the draw del 1991. In soli cinque giorni, il filmato è stato visionato più di un milione di volte. I media, anche occidentali, hanno dedicato parecchi articoli alla diva indiana. Vi segnalo l'intervista concessa da Priyanka a Sally Holmes, pubblicata il 29 aprile 2014 da Elle (US). Priyanka Chopra on her new country single and shattering Indian stereotypes:

'In terms of film and/or music, is there a direction that you really want to pursue?
I want to be able to do everything. And as a girl we're really great at multitasking anyway. So I still am doing Indian movies and I will continue to do so as long as people want to watch me, and at the same time I'm looking for something interesting to do here too. I don't want to do stereotypical Indian parts, (...)I want to break that for India, I want to break that for people from where I come from. No we don't ride elephants. We don't all speak or smell a certain way. You know the stereotypes that come with people from that part of the world. I think it's a time when the globe's become so small right now. You can be living in New York and your neighbor could be from ANY part of the world. I'd like to pave the way for more diversity, not just for Indian people, but people around the world who don't get to come into just mainstream pop culture'.




Randeep Hooda: I'm in touch with my exes

[Archivio

Com'è come non è, mi ero dimenticata di segnalarvi questa bella intervista (non lasciatevi ingannare dal titolo zuccheroso) concessa dal tenebroso Randeep Hooda ad Ashwini Deshmukh, pubblicata l'11 dicembre 2013 da Filmfare. I’m in touch with my exes:

'He’s the quintessential alpha male and he lets everyone know it. Best part is Randeep Hooda’s tongue-in-cheek humour and no-mincing-words attitude add an edge to his sex appeal. But the capricious actor is a transformed man today. The somewhat difficult nature is now replaced with a more accommodating attitude. Clearly, he’s a man amongst the boys who has seen much more than the fanfare of tinsel town. And just as casually he recalls those drunken nights when he’d get thrown out of house parties. But he’s moved on. To a career that’s alive and kicking. (...) 

Once the poster boy for middle-of-the-road cinema, Randeep now has a place on the rosters of A-list production houses. Banners like Dharma Productions and directors like Imtiaz Ali have placed their faith in the intense actor. “It’s flattering. I consider myself lucky. Not too many people have an outing and then a second outing,” he says of his earlier not-so-eventful stint in films. (...) “I don’t know if I’m a brand yet but I’m getting interesting work out of my comfort zone and that keeps me on my toes. I’m also putting in more effort. I’ve found a way to communicate with myself, thinking about pros and cons, rather than just being moody.” In a confessional mode he says, “I believed I was the centre of the Universe. I was young and brash. Not being from a film family, I did not follow the ‘pairi-pona’ (touching the feet of elders) tradition. I realised that people in the industry are too sensitive and their egos are fragile. All creative people are like that. I was like ‘I’m doing my thing and I am right’. But I realised everyone needs encouragement and respect. So it’s dangerous to be yourself - a brash Jatt,” he smiles adding, “In that way you end up bruising a few egos. I’m not going to make those mistakes again.” It must be mentioned that while his acting skills were never questioned his allegedly brash behaviour and people skills were. “You cannot blame your circumstances because they are somewhere created by your own actions. I blame myself for the bad spell. Also, maybe the timing wasn’t right. But now an actor like me is getting work because of the kind of films being made. Cinema is evolving, so I’m evolving as an actor.”

Also success has triggered a change in him. “I started saying ‘yes’ more than ‘no’. I started trusting people. I’m seeking work rather than being idealistic because unless you reach somewhere, you can’t be idealistic. Beggars can’t be choosers.” Earlier he’d say no to movies for ‘stupid reasons and whims’. “The whole thing about ‘I’m going to do only one movie at a time’ works for stars like Aamir Khan. I couldn’t afford that liberty. Today I’m doing double shifts, small roles, big roles, extreme roles... Basically, I’ve become more professional. I work a lot more, so you see more of me. I’m grateful to what you call ‘fate’. People are knocking at my door now to do their movies as opposed to when I was a nobody. When I step out people treat me with a newfound respect. I even enjoy some privileges here and there,” he smiles.

Bagging a film with Imtiaz Ali sure is a huge achievement. But Randeep thought someone was playing a prank when Imtiaz’s team called him up regarding the project. But eventually the actor did meet the director. “He’s a lovely guy. I’m glad that the ‘Randeep Hooda image’ will be broken. I’m playing a physically and mentally ugly character. So I’m pushing the envelope. It was stepping out of a certain quintessential, mature ‘deep voiced Hooda’ that people had started liking. I did that on purpose.”

He’s also kicked up about working with Salman Khan in the mega project Kick, which he says just ‘fell into his lap’. “I’ve always been inspired by Salman. He’s a real superstar. He doesn’t give a damn about anything. He is what he is, which is difficult to be. I consider him as a friend though we haven’t been in touch for long,” he smiles. Doesn’t he have a problem playing second fiddle to another actor, more so now? “To Salman Khan? Everyone should play second fiddle to him,” he grins.

He was always referred to as a sex symbol but with his homosexual character in Karan Johar’s short film in Bombay Talkies, he’s added an edge to his sensuality. About his lip lock with co-star Saqib Saleem he says, “I guess Saqib was a bit nervous. But when it happened, it just happened. I did not feel uncomfortable at all.” And no, his homosexual act has not made a dent in his female following. “In fact, women have started liking me more. Some even said, ‘You look hot in the movie’,” he says. His well-wishers dissuaded him from playing a gay character but Karan Johar’s conviction made him go ahead. “Karan delivered what was promised and it was not cheap or trivial. It was a deep character. I deliberately played a mature character, someone who has lived his life but there’s pent-up frustration and questions about his sexual orientation.”

Can we safely assume that he’s become the thinking woman’s sex symbol then? “Usually, the thinking woman’s sex symbol is one who’s not so good-looking. But I’d like to be pompous and say that I’m not that bad looking!” he laughs adding, “Actually, for me there’s no distinction between thinking and non-thinking women.” He goes on to add that all the attention has not affected him. “I make it a point to be oblivious to it. That’s the only way to deal with it. Because you’re the same person, just that the people around you change. I don’t get swayed by all this.” He attributes this level-headedness to his past experiences. That’s also got to do with the anonymity and failure he has faced. “I know what the ‘Almost famous syndrome’ is. It’s important to be human and not think that we are God’s gift to mankind... or womankind for that matter,” he grimaces adding, “That’s why I love horses and riding because they don’t know whether my movie is a hit or whether people are talking good or bad about me. They love me regardless.”

His busy schedules and travel leave him without any time for friends or loved ones. “I don’t intend to neglect people but they feel I do. I make an effort to make a phone call or meet them. I was never regular at parties. But when I do attend, I feel nice when people talk to me and compliment me. But you have to keep reminding yourself that, ‘Hey, they are saying all these things because of your work. So go back and work harder.” His career may have taken off but his lifestyle hasn’t. With the exception of a luxury car that he bought for his father, life hasn’t changed much. “My dad had liked this particular car with particular interiors, so when I got money that’s the first thing I bought. Though I now have a big house, I still enjoy sleeping in one corner. I’m not even particular about fancy clothes or eating out,” he says. “It’s hard not to get used to luxuries. But I indulge in what I love. Like I bought this polo team, which I’m going to take forward in a big way. I’m also thinking of buying horses from Germany or England for my show jumping. I’m already buying polo ponies from England.”

His relationship status as of now is ‘single’ courtesy his hectic schedules. “Everything is in a limbo for now because I’m so engrossed with my work.” He adds with a smile, “I’m sure you journalists hear this all the time!” Then on a serious note he explains, “It’s not good to be in a relationship if you can’t contribute. Being just a taker can never work out. Unless I have the time and mental space to enjoy togetherness, I don’t want to be in a relationship. I’ve had some wonderful people in my life. And I’m trying to keep that equation healthy. But I’m not in the frame of mind to have a spouse right now. I am honest about it.” The last time we met, things were different. He was keen on settling down. Remind him and he says, “Yes. I felt that way then and it was wonderful. But then due to work and erratic schedules my personal life took a beating. Sooner or later, someone will fit in. Even if someone doesn’t I won’t regret it. In that sense I’m quite detached.” He chooses not to speak about the much reported relationship with actress Nitu Chandra or anyone else due to the respect he accords to all his relationships. Ask him if he’s in touch with any of his previous girlfriends and it doesn’t take him a second to answer, “All of them. Because my biggest asset is that I am honest. Though it’s hard to be honest in a relationship!”.'  

2 maggio 2014

IIFA per l'anno 2013: i vincitori

Il 26 aprile 2014 a Tampa (Florida), nel corso di una cerimonia presentata da Farhan Akhtar e da Shahid Kapoor, sono stati assegnati gli IIFA per la produzione cinematografica del 2013. Segnalo i vincitori nelle categorie più importanti: 

* Miglior film: Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
* Miglior regista: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra per Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
* Miglior attore protagonista: Farhan Akhtar per Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
* Miglior attrice protagonista: Deepika Padukone per Chennai Express.

Grazie alla partecipazione di John Travolta e di Kevin Spacey, l'evento si è guadagnato una risonanza mondiale, al punto che persino i media italiani ne hanno dato notizia. Travolta si è esibito sul palco con Hrithik Roshan e con Priyanka Chopra. Kevin Spacey ha improvvisato qualche passo di danza con Farhan Akhtar, Shahid Kapoor e Deepika Padukone.


Per un'ampia carrellata di fotografie, clicca l'argomento AW IIFA nella sezione Photo Gallery.