GURU DUTT: The Percentage of Tears

Guest post by: Tiru Pradyumna Editing by: HINDI CINEMA BLOG

Tiru Pradyumna is a theatre director from Bangalore. Interpreting and finding precious things in Indian cinema which are apparently not understood by normal audience, as well as articulating the concept of aesthetics and semiotics in cinema are some of Tiru's many talents shared with us today. Check out the blog at:  http://tirupradyumna.blogspot.in/

 

“Koi Jab Roke, Koi Jab Toke, Gun Gun Karata Bhaage Re”

 

This line flashed at me when I saw a poster of a film near a theatre in Bangalore. The title matched the “ORIGINAL” for the most part till “Saahib Biwi Aur ...”, but in a few seconds, my intellect felt guilty, because the resemblance was only between two film names and only that much. The memory of that poster remained only for couple of seconds, while the memory of the ORIGINAL film (which remains a classic even after five decades) will remain forever. My "guilty" comparison of both films led me to compare the “Golden Era of the HINDI FILM industry” and current “Bollywood” (that is what they call it). The span of twenty years in which legends like Raj Kapoor, Yash Chopra, Shammi, Rafi, Kishore Da, Burmans, Kaifi Azmi, Abrar alvi, Sahir ludhianvi, Anand Bhakshi and Guru Dutt were brand ambassadors of the Hindi film industry is compared to nowadays, when actors are only meant to be brand ambassadors for TV commercials... let's say the comparison cannot even be balanced on the same pole.

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INDIA INDEPENDENCE DAY: Celebrating Cinema

Independence Day in India: AP Photo from Sulekha.com

As I wake up this 14 of August to merry music outside and talented high-pitched voices coming from a street sound system at 6am, there is no doubt. Festivities have been launched to celebrate India's independence.

Later, as the day subsides, evening streets are filled with people, honking vehicles, colored lanterns and sweet smelling flower garlands hanging from every imaginable corner and at every roundabout. The air smells of delicious fried snacks, spice, incense, smoke and excitement. Fleeting fireworks thunder here and there and the thumping of the latest movie hits sweeps through the trees. Movie soundtracks are such an integral part of the Independence Day celebration that I am compelled to draw a parallel between the nation's freedom and it's cinema's “independent” essence. Indian cinema to me has long represented that which has dared to create larger than life or over the top scenes or characters that have become legendary symbols... The temptation to do a recap of Indian cinema's unique and independent character is too pressing!

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ROAD, MOVIE: The Power of Cinema

Are you keen to watch an ode to the magic of cinema? ‘Road, Movie’ is the subtle answer. Dev Benegal, known for ‘English August’, pays tribute through this new film to the father of modern home cinema: yes sir, the good ol’ moving cinema, capable of taking fantasy, drama and laughter to India’s most remote corners.

Vishnu (Abhay Deol) sees the opportunity to drive an uncle’s old truck across the desert, in quest of anything that takes him far away, towards a life of adventure. During the course of his journey, he constantly strives to find water, both to quench his thirst and in seeking a seaside town as his destination. His travels are punctuated by encounters with those who will become his companions along the way. READ MORE >>