Monthly Archives: May 2011
Bollywood For Discerning Minds – Part One
Do you think Bollywood only produces junk? Not true. It produces mostly junk. Forgive me for being so blunt, Bollywood, but it’s the truth, isn’t it?
When it comes to Bollywood, sadly, quantity rules over quality. Therefore, for a movie buff, it’s like a game – fun to discover and then enjoy (sometimes get pleasantly surprised or amazed) the few, good movies that hit the screen. Gems are very rare but they do exist, if you look hard enough. Because they are so rare, I find myself going to the movies (the Bollywood movies, that is) infrequently and still being disappointed when even my fairly modest expectations are not met.
This series of random posts then, will be my attempt to showcase a few gems that I have found over the years – until I run out of them. Some of them are precious and others “semi-precious”.
They will be listed in no particular order, just whatever occurs to me when I write that post. The only common, underlying theme will be that I have seen and appreciated all of the movies I will list. I will categorize below into three different areas for now, although it’s possible that #2 and #3 may get consolidated into one lot fairly soon-
1. Unadulterated Bollywood Entertainment – typifies this genre with music, song, dance, romance, emotion, action, color…and is pure entertainment (park your brain to the side and simply enjoy) that is very well done.
2. Groundbreaking and/or Innovative – a first or near-first for Bollywood
3. Art Film -which is typically a serious, independently made movie for a niche rather than mass audience (thank you, wikipedia).
How about I start my post on this topic with two movies in each of these categories. Although they are randomly picked, for the sake of this first post, I’ll will start with some of the more recent movies:
Unadulterated Bollywood:
- Once Upon A Time in Mumbai (2010) – Allegedly the story about the Mumbai gangsters Haji Mastan and Dawood Ibraham – beautifully and realistically set in the 1970-80s.
- Band Baaja Baaraat (2010) – a rom-com, Yash Chopra style, showcasing Indian weddings and wedding planners with all the trappings of Bollywood.
Groundbreaking and/or Innovative:
- Udaan (2010) – a must-see movie about the growing pains of a young man and the paternal issues that he has to deal with. Truly a gem of a movie and comparable to any well-made Hollywood drama.
- Peepli Live (2010) – a satire on media and politicians in India today, but based on the serious theme and reality of farmer suicides. Groundbreaking, for sure.
Art House:
- Ishqiya (2010) – Unique characters and script – two goons falling for the same (married) woman; a woman with many secrets and and even more schemes. Great plot, great acting, great/crazy dialogs, great music, great direction.
- Dhobi Ghat/Mumbai Diaries (2010) – The heroine of this movie is the well-loved and well-photographed city of Mumbai, which brings together a few intriguing characters in parallel stories. The wonderful music score also works to make it all come alive. Well-told with a few glitches; a solid effort by a first-time director.
What’s your Net Worth?
Do people that you meet value you or your net worth?
I’ve seen it happen here – both to me and to others – in this city and elsewhere, where more value seems to be placed on one’s net worth. At best, this attitude is cringe-worthy.
Then, a friend told me about what happens in another city in India (a city somewhere in the north, where a lot of high-level government buildings are located, if you get my drift). He said that if he ever moved back there, he would have to buy himself a BMW or he would not fit into his friends’ circle. (He happens to live in Mumbai, and he said people don’t care as much here). But over there, if he was say, driving in a Toyota Camry (not a bad car, if I may say so!), his friends, would ask, what happened, yaar?
As I looked on in amazement, I said to him, you must move around with a bunch of rich and famous people. He said, Nah – most of them will be trying to figure out how to get cash for next month’s loan payment!
It’s all about the image. Because that’s how you connect there and that’s how you network and find business contacts. Wow! A car as a visible symbol to help you network and do business, that’s how it works?
Unfortunately, this is more fact than fiction and more (regrettable) truth than not, and it’s only one example. People are more than likely to succumb to the pressure of their peers here because fitting in into the society they move in is considered very important. And then they get valued for the car they own! Really sad.
The good news is that the attitude is not yet ubiquitous (god help us!) and that it’s more prevelant in some cities and some societies than others. I hope that this trend, instead of catching on and spreading, diminishes with time and economic progress! If not, we’d really have something to worry about regarding the state of society and values in India.
The Yin and Yang of Life Anywhere 