Mehwish parla al sole - Recensione

[Blog] Recensione di Mehwish parla al sole, terzo romanzo di Uzma Aslam Khan, autrice pakistana di grande talento.

Le prime del 24 ottobre 2012: Chakravyuh

Chakravyuh, diretto da Prakash Jha, è un film a sfondo politico che esplora il controverso tema dei naxaliti. Nel cast Arjun Rampal, Abhay Deol, Manoj Bajpayee, Kabir Bedi e Om Puri. La pellicola è stata proiettata qualche giorno fa in prima mondiale al 56esimo British Film Institute London Film Festival. Trailer. Vi segnalo l'intervista concessa da Prakash Jha a Priya Gupta, pubblicata da The Times of India il 28 luglio 2012. Done with politics not with making political films: Prakash Jha: 

'Your next film Chakravyuh deals with Maoism and you travelled through the Red Corridor to research for it. What was the experience like?

The root cause for this social unrest is primarily our feudal mindset which creates systems to benefit a few and exploit the rest. Our democracy begins and ends with an election. The problem with democracy is that unless it has equal participation by everybody in the real sense it does not work. The Maoists feel that when the country was not independent they could live in the forest and survive. Post independence the government has taken over their land, they feel left out as they have no access to a better life. The government communicates with them through forest officials and guards who exploit them. (...) So while they are denied the benefits of development, the khakhiwalas [gli agenti] also exploit them. The backlash started in Naxalbari, in Bengal, over a contentious piece of land. When they were denied the land which was theirs, the Naxals got together and killed the landlord. That’s how the principle of wresting back land through force was established. The so called ‘Red Corridor’ covers more than 250 districts. These are areas which are liberated zones meaning that they do not operate under the government of India. As long as the conflict was restricted to these areas it did not affect us, but the conflict in Manesar at the Maruti factory is now suspected to have been triggered by the Naxals. So the conflict from the jungles is coming to industry. There are educated people from universities like Mumbai, Nagpur, Osmania, JNU [Jawaharlal Nehru University] from where people are being recruited. My concern is that this movement is coming to our neighborhood. And so if this discontent comes to Dharavi, how will you save Mumbai? Through my film I am bringing this issue in the public domain and trying to warn the population of this country to wake up as we are sitting on a time bomb waiting to explode'.

Nagesh Kukunoor in Italia

Nagesh Kukunoor nei giorni scorsi era in vacanza in Italia. Ecco i suoi tweet:

8 ottobre 2012 - 'Drinking the local Chianti. Its a truly wonderful red. Goes great with just about anything. Inspite of being touristy, Florence is every bit as beautiful as the tour books describe. Time to shoot a film here [magari!!]. For all you foodies out there, nothing as delicious as fresh bread, fresh pressed olive oil and rock salt. A Tuscan tradition. Awesome'.
9 ottobre - 'Spent 3 hours in the Uffizi Gallery. Really unnerving to be standing 2 feet from a Michelangelo... After a while I got tired of saying wow. Spent 2 hours people watching in the Palazzo Vecchio square. Took some inane pictures and was devoid of all thought. At peace'.
12 ottobre - 'After 2 amazing days wandering the streets of Rome, I veni vidi vici... Roman Holiday, one of those great romantic tales makes sense after visiting Rome. Will take my shot with my films with #cornettoindia'.
14 ottobre - 'Had to do the touristy thing and see the leaning tower of Pisa. Was cool to see it finally jump from fifth std textbook to reality. Arguably ate the best sandwich ever. Raw tuscan sausage, stracchino cheese, arugula leaves, truffle oil and schiacciata bread'.
15 ottobre - 'Finally did the southern city of Siena. Even after doing so many churches, the Siena cathederal was a thing of beauty. Cool fact, the main square in Siena, piazza del Campo has an annual bareback horse race, Palio di Siena. Its nuts! Youtube it'.

Tom Hanks: I admire Aamir Khan's work for society

È curioso che Aamir Khan sia sempre stato accostato dai suoi fan a Tom Hanks, e che proprio il celebre attore hollywoodiano abbia recentemente manifestato la sua ammirazione per Aamir, dopo aver letto un articolo che lo riguarda pubblicato da Time Asia nel numero del 10 settembre 2012 (per un estratto: clicca qui). I admire Aamir Khan's work for society: Tom Hanks, NDTV, 9 ottobre 2012: 'I really admire the work that Aamir Khan is doing (in India). Very few celebrities take the initiative of coming forward to change the society and he has done a remarkable job. (...) It's the 'giving-back' that's tough. Aamir seems to understand the influencing power of being a celebrity and is using it to act as a catalyst for change in society, something that definitely deserves both appreciation and support from all quarters'.

Kareena Kapoor: If you are content, you'll never cheat

Da qualche giorno circola in rete la fotografia ufficiale delle nozze di Kareena Kapoor e di Saif Ali Khan. Gli sposi sono ritratti da Avinash Gowariker in una posa molto classica e regale. In India il rito del matrimonio prevede diverse cerimonie, il cui numero in questo caso è arricchito dal fatto che Kareena è di religione hindu e Saif di religione musulmana. Il fatidico sì è stato pronunciato il 16 ottobre 2012. Per Saif si tratta del secondo matrimonio. 

Ne approfitto per segnalarvi l'intervista concessa da Kareena a Vivek Bhatia, pubblicata da iDiva il 19 ottobre 2012. Kareena Kapoor: If you are content, you’ll never cheat:

'Do you think, this is the time for actresses to break the mould and carry films on their shoulders?

Let’s face it. It’s a male-dominated industry. (...) I’ve always maintained that box-office success is what counts. People don’t care about your performance.

Madhur Bhandarkar’s films thrive on sensationalism, no?

Not Heroine. Fashion was more on the sensational side. Heroine was sensational in parts but it had depth in content. It was a potent mixture of commercial elements, content and performances. The fact is that the person who buys the ticket on a Friday is going in for sensationalism. No one wants to see my performance. That is secondary. They want to see what Madhur Bhandarkar has made. (...) I think my role in Heroine is an award-winning performance. It is bold, eccentric and different. It’s not run-of-the-mill. I’ve given it my all. The way I’ve looked, the way I’ve performed is spectacular. (...) The character is bold. (...) But by bold I don’t mean skin show. At the end of the day, I’m a commercial actress. There are certain boundaries to be taken care of. I don’t think I could have done The Dirty Picture. Vidya [Balan] is so talented that she managed to pull it off with ease. I do have my limitations.

Reportedly, you asked Madhur to rewrite a few scenes...

That’s not true at all. (...)

Do you get affected after playing intense roles?

While working for Heroine, it did get disturbing at times. So while shooting certain scenes, I’d get upset. (...)

Why did you opt out of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s [Goliyon Ki Raasleela] Ram Leela opposite Ranveer Singh?

Sanjay and I wanted to work together for 13 years but it never worked out. There were some date problems with Ram Leela. My managers did not think it would be a good idea to give 200 days to a film, at this stage of my career. I was offered two films at the same time - Karan Johar’s untitled film to be directed by Punit Malhotra opposite Imran Khan, and Prakash Jha’s Satyagraha opposite Ajay Devgan. So I went ahead with them.

You and Prakash Jha seem quite an unusual combination.

Prakash is an immensely successful director. His heroines have strong roles. Also, Ajay is a successful actor. I’m sure I can work with Ranveer in the future but as of now I’d like to work with Ajay.

Does your choice of movies depend on the bankability of the star opposite you? 

Yes, I’d like to work with commercially bankable stars. I’ve done Omkara and Golmaal 2 and 3 with Ajay. If people say I’ve chosen to work with Imran over Ranveer, that’s also because I’ve given a commercial hit with Imran (Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu). It has been one of the best performances of my career. And the chemistry was brilliant. (...)

What’s your equation with Ranbir [Kapoor]?

Ranbir and I aren’t particularly close to each other. Look, I’ve generally not been close to anyone in the family. I’m independent, in my own space and doing my own thing. I’ve only been very close to Lolo (sister Karisma Kapoor). Also, I have studied in a boarding school. Anyway, I was not really in touch with the family.

Is there any kind of bitterness with the rest of the Kapoors? 

Not really. But every family has its own set of problems. A few people may never get along. That’s normal, not a big thing. (...)

Is it because your career is at its peak that you don’t want to get distracted by your personal life?

I firmly believe that being married or not, cannot affect my career. I’ve lived with a man for five years. Before that, I was in another relationship for five years. I’ve never shied away from admitting to being in love. And I’ve had a career parallel to my personal life. I’m not one of those actresses who’d say, ‘Oh! I’m so busy and my life is from studio to home and home to studio!’ I have a personal life but I also have my career; I’m a thorough professional. The image I have on screen has got nothing to do with how I am in real life. The minute I get home, I turn off my cellphone and have nothing to do with the onscreen Kareena Kapoor. (...) People should know about my films and performances. Stop giving a heroine’s married life so much importance.

Your relationship with Saif [Ali Khan] is five years old. Has the initial excitement died down?

Not at all. We’re best friends and lovers. (...) We are strong individuals and we give each other space. It’s great that Saif and I have a 10-year age gap. He has more knowledge than I do. He has broadened my horizons. Whether it’s fine dining, reading or travelling; he’s just amazing. He’s well-read and well-spoken. He’s supremely successful in whatever he does. Why should I care about who’s doing what, as far as Saif and I are doing our work, earning bucks and going for holidays.

Would you ever cheat?

No, I don’t think so. There are temptations but if you’re happy and content with your man, then you’d never cheat. The only time you’d look elsewhere or stray is when you’re unhappy. (...)

If Saif asks you to give up your career, how would you react?

You think Saif would ever say that? In fact, he’d tell me to work. He’s modern in thought. But it would be quite funny if he’d ask me to get into a burqa.

Your wildest fantasy?

(Sighs) Moving to Paris. Away from the paparazzi. If I get bored of the anonymity, then I’ll come back. I just want to do my work, go there and chill. Here, the paparazzi wants to know what I’m eating, what I’m wearing. It gets annoying after a point'.

È morto Yash Chopra

Qualche ora fa Yash Chopra si è spento in un ospedale di Mumbai. Lo scorso 27 settembre aveva compiuto 80 anni.

Awesome 'jugaad' of India's campy horror industry

Vi segnalo l'articolo Awesome 'jugaad' of India's campy horror industry, di Aditi Sen, pubblicato da CNN News18 il 13 settembre 2012:

'Filmmaker Mohan Bhakri was determined to create a convincing shot of a skeleton coming back to life during the shooting of Roohani Taaqat in 1991. He set up an elaborate pump system to create the effect and used a goat's heart. But the organ was too small and did not give the desired effect. His assistant then managed to procure a buffalo heart. Just as everything was ready and they were about to shoot a stray dog ran away with the buffalo heart. Many of us watch retro Bollywood monster flicks for the laughs and poor special effects but we seldom wonder about how this subtle art of how unintentional humor is created. Making a film on a shoestring budget takes enormous amount of creativity. For example, Mohan Bhakri in his earlier film Kabrastan (1988) had tried to cut down the cost of make up by viewing the events through the eyes of the monster. Unfortunately, the audience was totally confused and the result again was a delightful comic treat.

But we have seldom pondered over the fact that besides the Ramsay Brothers horror filmmakers in India have largely not been able to make truly professional films due to severe budgetary constraints. The Ramsays too made low budget films but they struggled relatively less than directors who had jumped on their bandwagon. It will be grossly incorrect to say that Bollywood has not seen good horror films but that's not what the article is about. My piece is about something altogether different. I want to talk about creativity rising out of financial crunch. The art of coming up with innovative solution; in fact, we have a fantastic word in Hindi to describe it. Jugaad. The word is used often but we seldom understand the relevance of it as an art form. It's not easy to come up with innovative solutions or morph something potentially scary or serious into humor. Yes, I argue unintentional humor takes talent and is often underappreciated. However my focus is to not only talk about creation of humor but also add events and stories that lead to these situations. (...)

Let me begin with Joginder Shelly's film Pyasa Shaitan. The film has Kamal Haasan playing the devil's minion whereas Joginder plays the devil himself. The opening scene required the actress Madhu Malhotra getting raped. Instead of hiring an actor and going through an elaborate rape scene Joginder used a tree to rape her. There is a shot of Madhu Malhotra spreadeagled, her hands tied with branches and a branch slowly crawling towards her legs and thighs. One has to give Joginder credit for coming up with such a unique idea. Pyasa Shaitan is filled with this kind of interesting time-saving rape scenes. There is another scene where actress Beena [Banerjee] is raped but it is done in a jiffy as the devil strips her with his demonic powers and presents the audience with an obvious body double in underclothes.

In the film Bhoot Hi Bhoot when the protagonist is confronted by an evil spirit he simply fails to find anything that will help him to fight the ghost. In sheer desperation he picks up a car tyre wench and holds it up like a cross. Needless to say it works and the evil spirit in cheap rubber mask vanishes away. The film is directed by Boss. I have to admit Boss was indeed creative and innovative. He found interesting, relatively benign and inexpensive ways to execute the killings in the film. In one scene a victim possessed by the evil spirit picks up a bolder and smashes it on his own head. Nothing gruesome, gory and no elaborate action; a wholesome shot written just to fit the budget.

Location is another facet that makes low budget flicks creative. (...) Horror filmmakers in India too face severe financial shortage and one can see that in their choice of locations. Ramsay films can be easily identified often because of their similarity of locations. However, similar location is not a handicap because it promotes creativity and even allows the filmmaker to encourage the audience to imagine. (...) There are also clever filmmakers who understand the value of buy one get one free. Some of the films are shot in the actors’ house. Recently, I was talking to actor Amrit Pal who had worked in low budget films. Not only did he receive very little money for the film his house too was used as a shooting venue. In fact, a vast majority of the filmmakers spend very little on location.

Very few of us realize that there are often incredible stories behind the films we like to laugh at. Only these stories are not told because these are films that have fallen out of the mainstream sieve and have been branded as 'crap'.'

Jab Tak Hai Jaan : trailer

Gustatevi in religioso silenzio il trailer del nuovo film dell'affascinante, bellissimo, oltraggiosamente sexy  King of Bollywood: Shahrukh Khan.
A giudicare dal montaggio delle prime immagini la pellicola, diretta da Yash Chopra, riserva delle autentiche chicche per gli infervorati fan di Srk. Devo ancora riprendermi perciò rimando i commenti ad una data da destinare, sempre che sopravviva. 

Ek Tha Tiger : Recensione

[Blog] Recensione di Ek Tha Tiger, attualmente il più grande successo commerciale del 2012. Con Salman Khan e Katrina Kaif. Diretto da Kabir Khan.

Un perfetto equilibrio - Recensione

[Blog] Recensione di Un perfetto equilibrio, secondo romanzo di Rohinton Mistry, ultimo vincitore del Neustadt International Prize for Literature.

Priyanka Chopra: In my city

Domani Priyanka Chopra presenterà il suo primo singolo, In my city, nel quale duetta con will.i.am dei Black Eyed Peas. A seguire l'album, la cui distribuzione è prevista per il prossimo dicembre.

Milano Film Festival 2012

L'edizione 2012 del Milano Film Festival si svolgerà dal 12 al 23 settembre. In cartellone Valley of Saints (2012), pellicola in lingua kashmiri diretta da Musa Syeed, già premiata al Sundance Film Festival 2012.

Gabbar Singh : Recensione

[Blog] Recensione di Gabbar Singh, l'esplosivo remake telugu di Dabangg che ha letteralmente travolto il box office dell' Andhra Pradesh. Con Pawan Kalyan e Shruti Haasan. 

Southscope tamil settembre 2012: Jeeva & Pooja Hegde

Nella copertina tamil di Southscope sovrasta l'attore Jiiva dietro la sua maschera di super eroe, affiancato dall'attrice kannada Pooja Hegde, sua co-protagonista nel tanto atteso Mugamoodi. Il film, da ieri uscito nelle sale del sud dell'India, sta dividendo il pubblico e i critici con recensioni alquanto contrastanti. Il regista è Mysskin, autore del commovente Nandalala (2010) e del celebrato action movie Ajanthey (2008). Maggiori info su Mugamoodi qui.

Southscope telugu settembre 2012: Nagarjuna & Nayantara

Southscope propone questo mese una doppia copertina, Nella versione telugu la rivista mette in primo piano Nagarjuna e Nayantara attualmente impegnati nelle riprese di Love Story. All'interno una lunga intervista a SS Rajamouli, il regista di Eega, sorprendente film fantasy da poco uscito nelle sale indiane che ha scatenato un autentico vortice di curiosità e si vocifera di un possibile sequel...

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.