Breaking News - for Bollywood

I RE-WROTE the popular Hindi film song "Ajeeb Daastaan Hai Yeh" from the film 'Dil Apna Preet Parayee' (1960, Lyrics: Shailendra).

Tell me what you think of it - does Bollywood deserve me ?

ये कैसी कैसी ज़िन्दगी,

ये कैसे हम, ये कैसे गम;

निगाहें किनको ढूँढती,

और सामने खड़े सनम.

तलाश की तलाश में,

ये दूरीयों के फासले;

न पास हूँ, न पास हो,

करीब होने के सिले. 

किसी को बुत बना दिया,

किसी ने बुत बना लिया;

जुनून हाड़ मांस का,

हदों में नूर हो गया.

कभी कभी मैं सोचता,

के उम्र हो चली ख़तम;

कभी कभी मैं बेवजह,

हूँ ज़िन्दगी मैं यूं मलंग.

ये कैसी कैसी ज़िन्दगी,

ये कैसे हम, ये कैसे गम;

निगाहें किनको ढूँढती,

और सामने खड़े सनम. 

the original song

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आप कहते हैं

व्हाट'स हैप्पेनिंग अरुण?

मैं कहता हूँ 

आपको कैसे मालूम 

कि कल सुबह सुबह हुई 

और कल शाम शाम 

कि कल काले कौए ने 

रास्ते काटे थे 

और भूरी बिल्ली ने 

आसमान 

कि कल मेरे 

ढीले थे मोज़े 

और कसी कसी थी 

पतलून 

कि कल मैं 

अपने आप से 

यही जवाब 

सवाल रहा था 

कि 

व्हाट'स हैप्पेनिंग अरुण?

तेरे नाम

01

कभि कभि इधर युहीं, मैं तुमसे बात करता हूँ;
नहीं हो तुम जो फिर यहाँ, अस्थिर तलाश करता हूँ।

तुम रौशनी में हो बुलंद, तुम हो अँधेरे में बयाँ;
तुम सामने हो यूँ खड़ी, और सामने ही यूँ हवा।

तुम ख्वाब की उनींदी नींद, तुम जागने की गर्म चाय;
तुम बाँधने की पुख्त डोर, तुम भागने के भिन उपाय।

कभि कभि इधर युहीं, मैं तुमसे बात करता हूँ;
नहीं हो तुम जो फिर यहाँ, अस्थिर तलाश करता हूँ।

02

कभि कभि इधर युहीं, ये शब्दों के जाल;
मिलाते हैं मुझसे, कुछ परिचित सवाल।
सवालों के उत्तर, सभी जानता हूँ;
मगर सोच अपनी, नहीं मानता हूँ।
सर ओखली में, मैं नित डालता हूँ,
गिर कर, संभलकर, फिर लिख डालता हूँ।

Fifty Shades of Black & White, Grey and Other Sundry Colours: Fifty Films which made a difference to my understanding of Cinema

"You've got to have faith in people"

I have long admired Woody Allen, especially for his unique ability to seamlessly and with such self-deprecating humorous yet affectionate insight navigate the triple talents of being the writer, director and principal actor. The first film of his I was exposed to (very near its release in 1979) was Manhattan. I remember being blown by his performance, his dialogue, and most importantly by his characterization of this doomed yet beautiful love between a 42 year old experienced yet unsure man and this 17 year old wise little gawky girl (played by an ethereal Mariel Hemingway). The last scene, where he runs across the streets of (a beautifully black & white) New York, just in time to catch her before she leaves for London, is very poignant. To his anxiety about her changing, she says - "You've got to have faith in people". That's what it is all about - You've got to have faith in people.

FRF or The Art of Stewing Films in less than a Minute

Jab Tak Hai Jaan

Skin in the first half, brawn in the middle and amnesia towards the end can't save this expensive wax fantasy with the pulse of a frozen fish. Surprising low - Music by A.R. Rahman and Lyrics by Gulzar. Not so surprising saving grace - Anushka Sharma. London, Ladakh and Anil Mehta's cinematography royally wasted. (15th November, 2012)

Life of Pi

A tiresomely unending self-consciously excited 3-D ocean, an overdose of secular gyaan with an oriental tadka, and pseudo-scientific discoveries about carnivorous islands and vegetarians coming of age. Money not well spent. (19th December, 2012)

Talaash

A good first half, and a second which is closer to a sanitised (read boring & predictable) murder mystery from Meerut. Aamir Khan begins with a bang, and stays frozen in those mard ko dard looks thereafter. Rani Mukherjee is quite good. Kareena Kapoor is almost there, especially in the first half. Nawazuddin Siddiqui as the treacherous lame kotha underling (cliche, cliche) and Aditi Vasudev (she was the tomboyish daughter in Do Dooni Chaar) as the star pimp's live-in girlfriend initially sparkle in their respective characters. The dialogues by Farhan Akhtar & Anurag Kashyap manage to draw attention to themselves (you guessed it - mostly in the first half). The music is almost hummable. All in all a leap of faith, without a landing.  (1st January, 2013)

Vicky Donor

What a good script, good set of dialogues, good ensemble cast, and the good old Lajpat Nagar can do to a film. (14th May, 2012)

Neros’s Guests

One of the more quietly powerful documentaries to emerge in recent times in this country - the film owes as much to Deepa Bhatia's skilful yet unobtrusive cinematic structuring as it does to P. Sainath's strength of beliefs and inherent ability to communicate with ease and empathy. (3rd November, 2012)

Paan Singh Tomar

After many years Irrfan Khan achieves the unpretentious assimilation of character one admired him for. The film is good. But the hype was greater. The language used, of the areas around Gwalior, Morena, Bhind, Dholpur (Bundeli), was a delight to hear. Reminded me of wonderful childhood holidays spent at my nana-nani's place in Gwalior, in the early 70s. We would sometimes take the bus from Agra to Gwalior. The route took us through hardcore baaghi country and we crossed the Chambal river on a temporary pontoon bridge (the main one having collapsed). (16th March, 2012)

Jai Bhim Comrade

The citation of the Jury at MIFF 2012 while giving 'Best Film of the Festival Award' to Anand Patwardhan's 3 hours plus documentary 'Jai Bhim Comrade' read - "In recognition of the dedication and commitment for over three decades, not only to documentary cinema but to all the marginalized and oppressed communities of India". I saw the film yesterday. Salute! (2nd March, 2012)

FRF = Film Reviews on Facebook

Romancing the Dragon

Me and Shashi spent the last few days of 2009 in Hong Kong, where her sister lives. From a positively frigid welcome at the HK airport Immigration, the visit soon moved on to not-so-infrequent bouts of warmth, despite the foggy, smoggy and cold weather.

We did the Peak tram, Disneyland, Madame Tussauds, IFC and Avatar in 3D (not in any particular order of merit).

I also met some old students and made new friends. And went to lanes where Wong Kar Wai apparently shot parts of his films.

Back home, freshly into the new year, I missed toilet paper.

The young man at Stanley market wrote (what hopefully are) our names in Chinese calligraphy. He was, I thought, quite good in his brushwork. At 300 HK$ (approx 1,800 INR) he made me believe I had got a terrific shop-closing-time steal.

Lin Zexu, senior Chinese official of the Qing dynasty, fought against the unregulated import of opium into China by the British, leading to the First Opium War of 1839. His defeat led to the cession of Hong Kong Island by China to Britain, a process which was reversed only in 1997. The British cultivated the opium in colonial India, for export to China - note the 'Patna Opium' stamped wooden chest! Exhibit @ Hong Kong Museum of History, an excellent place, smartly imagined and put together.

Near where we stayed. For a long time I kept looking for signs of avian and human presence. This part of Hong Kong is expensive, expatriate and relatively empty of street life.

The classic view of Hong Kong, from the Peak.

Cultural Revolution Playing Cards! Bought from the Mong Kok Ladies Market.

Hail Mogambo!

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Et tu Obama?

Relatively unknown.

An innovative intermittent motion device at the Disneyland park, explaining the illusion of movement.

Shashi's brother-in-law Eric runs an intriguing Vintage French Wine outlet 'Bacchus & Century' in the entertainment district of Lan Kwai Fong.

Instead of bottles, the display at 'Bacchus & Century' showcases (now) chic artistic mileposts of the respective years.

Care for some Champagne?

Eric

Lan Kwai Fong

Wong Kar Wai territory

Manisha Chatterjee, my old student, and Rajat Dasgupta, her husband (and brother of another old student Rhea). I had a wonderful half-day with them.

Manisha is slowly adjusting to Hong Kong and its malls. We cribbed together, while Rajat spiced the conversation with his witty, observant one-liners. Apparently the only place you can get 'eve-teased' in Hong Kong (if you so desire) is at Tsim Sha Tsui - where a large number of South Asians live.

Hidden behind the glitzy high street malls, this 'familiar' street food joint was a relief.

Pig intestine with noodles, anyone ? The news headline above talks about common folk being detained in mainland China, for protesting against a polluting neighbourhood industrial plant.

I met Shamik (then a young undergraduate student) in early 1997, soon after I joined NID as a not-so-young film faculty. Together we did some great work at/with the NID Film Club. Catherine is a colleague and friend of Shamik. I liked her affable disposition.

Catherine and her husband Eddie. He is the quieter of the two. The couple (recently become parents) emanate a non-intrusive positivity.

Shamik took me to an unusual DVD shop, called Kubrick (@ Broadway Cinematheque, Yau Ma Tei). The collection here was both varied and rich. I bought the DVD of 'Cafe Lumiere' (a beautiful, fragile film tribute by the Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien to the great Japanese director Yasujiro Ozu).

Sunshine... Annabelle (Shashi's niece) at the Sky Terrace.

More sunshine... Shashi, Annabelle, Chandni (Shashi's sister) and Benjamin (Shashi's nephew). Rahul, the eldest of Chandni's three kids, is busy in his teens.

all photos: arun gupta