Tumbbad - A hidden masterpiece of Indian cinema

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by acemachine26, Nov 20, 2019.

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  1. acemachine26

    acemachine26 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Bangalore, IN
    Just saw this film a month ago and I can't stop gushing over it and recommending it to whoever I can. On the surface, Tumbbad seems like just another horror film set in an early time period, but deep down it's actually a cautionary tale of how greed can devastate and destroy you. This film was a labour of love that took 6 years to make and that's evident in every scene. The cinematography is some of the best I've ever seen, the background score by Jesper Kyd (the man who composed the music for iconic game franchises like Assassins Creed and Hitman) fits the environment perfectly, the acting by the entire cast is brilliant, the set design is excellent and the story is so unique. Don't be put off by the horror tag, this film is so much more than just a horror film and doesn't rely on cheap jumpscares.

    As expected, the film didn't perform well financially even though it was unanimously praised by the critics which is a shame. In my opinion, it should've been India's entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards.

    Please watch this film if you haven't already and let me know your thoughts about it if you have.
     
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  2. Chris DeVoe

    Chris DeVoe RIP Vickie Mapes Williams (aka Equipoise)

    I am definitely going to check this out, thank you so much!

    IMDB ratings are very unreliable for Indian films. I don't know if it's fans stuffing the ballot box, or ethnic/religious issues, but often times films that I end up loving have terrible ratings, and films that have great ratings I just absolutely despise.
     
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  3. acemachine26

    acemachine26 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Bangalore, IN
    Yes, completely agree about the ratings on IMDB for Indian films. This film though is a breath of fresh air and a completely original concept executed perfectly. I'd love to know your thoughts about it once you've seen it.
     
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  4. Chris DeVoe

    Chris DeVoe RIP Vickie Mapes Williams (aka Equipoise)

    I just spoke to my wife who sees a lot more Indian films than I do, and she said that they've already chosen the Indian Academy Award nominee, and it's Gully Boy (she was hoping for Badla.)
     
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  5. Chris DeVoe

    Chris DeVoe RIP Vickie Mapes Williams (aka Equipoise)

    I'm so glad we're past that point in history where it seemed like every Indian film was a rewrite of a Hollywood one.

    I will definitely seek this out. With any luck it'll be on Amazon or Netflix, but looking at the trailer I would have loved to have seen it in the theater
     
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  6. acemachine26

    acemachine26 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Bangalore, IN
    I'm aware that Gully Boy was India's selection for the Academy Award nominations but I feel Tumbbad was much better. Gully Boy is basically a coming-of-age story of a street rapper in Mumbai. It was an entertaining film but clearly inspired by the Hollywood film 8 Mile. Gully Boy features two of Bollywood's biggest stars which gave it a lot more attention than Tumbbad.
     
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  7. acemachine26

    acemachine26 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Bangalore, IN
    Tumbbad is definitely one of those films that you had to see in the theatre. The cinematography and sound design were just jaw-dropping.
     
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  8. Solaris

    Solaris a bullet in flight

    Location:
    New Orleans, LA
    This sounds right up my alley, thanks for the recommendation!
     
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  9. Chris DeVoe

    Chris DeVoe RIP Vickie Mapes Williams (aka Equipoise)

    Another member who is a fan of Indian films is @RayS.
     
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  10. RayS

    RayS A Little Bit Older and a Little Bit Slower

    Location:
    Out of My Element
    "Tumbbad" and "Gully Boy" are both "free" on Amazon Prime. I've added them both to my list. Last night I saw "PK" (with Aamir Khan) on Netflix which I somehow had missed. Not exactly Academy Award material but a fun and interesting film.
     
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  11. Chris DeVoe

    Chris DeVoe RIP Vickie Mapes Williams (aka Equipoise)

    Thank you for that! I'll check it out tonight.
     
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  12. hvbias

    hvbias Midrange magic

    Location:
    Northeast
    Penciled in Friday night's viewing to be Tumbbad, super excited to see this :)

    PK was the last Aamir Khan movie I watched as well, definitely good fun.
     
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  13. Chris DeVoe

    Chris DeVoe RIP Vickie Mapes Williams (aka Equipoise)

    Saw it tonight.

    I guess the moral is - don't assume you know the rules under which gods operate.
     
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  14. acemachine26

    acemachine26 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Bangalore, IN
    Yes, the Gandhi quote about greed at the beginning really made sense by the end.
     
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  15. RayS

    RayS A Little Bit Older and a Little Bit Slower

    Location:
    Out of My Element
    I was thinking, among other things, of what Bono said: "The god I believe in isn't short of cash, mister".

    My favorite part of the film was PK's confusion over Hindu widows wearing white, Christian brides wearing white while widows wear black, and Islamic wives wearing black.
     
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  16. RayS

    RayS A Little Bit Older and a Little Bit Slower

    Location:
    Out of My Element
    Post-"PK", I recommend "Dangal" (which I saw on premiere night in a packed theater with a very enthusiastic audience, which maybe affected my impression) and most definitely "Secret Superstar" (which I'm pretty sure is still on Netflix) which is a very heart-warming film. "Thugs of Hindostan", despite having three of my Bollywood favorites (Aamir, Katrina Kaif, and Amitabh Bachchan) was mostly a bloated mess, sadly.
     
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  17. acemachine26

    acemachine26 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Bangalore, IN
    Dangal was great. Was a bit let down by Secret Superstar. For a film based around music, that actual music wasn't that appealing to me.

    Btw have you watched anything by Anurag Kashyap yet? He's one of the most exciting directors in the Indian film industry today. Gangs of Wasseypur is a two part crime epic with influences from Scorsese, Tarantino and the Brazilian film City of God. Ugly, Raman Raghav 2.0 and Dev D are some of his other films that I highly recommend.
     
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  18. RayS

    RayS A Little Bit Older and a Little Bit Slower

    Location:
    Out of My Element
    Yes, I've seen "Gangs of Wasseypur" - a million miles from typical Bollywood.

    "Ugly" and "Dev D" are on Netflix so I added them to my list, thanks!
     
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  19. hvbias

    hvbias Midrange magic

    Location:
    Northeast
    Thanks for the suggestions.

    I wouldn't mind a general Indian film thread, I have too little knowledge in this area, I only hear of the big films (and more South Indian biased) that get promoted in the theaters here. Endhiran 2.0 is the last big one that I saw mentioned a lot :laugh:
     
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  20. RayS

    RayS A Little Bit Older and a Little Bit Slower

    Location:
    Out of My Element

    Great idea ... sold!

    The Bollywood Thread
     
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  21. Victorkingruler

    Victorkingruler New Member

    Location:
    India
    Awesome movie..I have 1 question. What is that circle which protects them from Hastar entering into? Is it rice? How did they figure out about it? Please let me know. I already watched this movie twice this week.
     
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  22. Chris DeVoe

    Chris DeVoe RIP Vickie Mapes Williams (aka Equipoise)

    Flour, I believe. The subtitles were that he both desired and feared it.
     
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  23. RayS

    RayS A Little Bit Older and a Little Bit Slower

    Location:
    Out of My Element
    I finally got an opportunity to see the film today. It's excellent - thank you for the recommendation!

    Certainly a unique film, and I appreciated how the story was not laid out in an obvious manner - it took a degree of audience engagement to follow along.

    I was reminded of the classic silent film "Greed" and, oddly enough, "A Prayer for Owen Meany", in which the lead characters spend years practicing "the shot" without knowing exactly what they'd use it for (the same way the son was practicing for his big moment in the final chapter). For a moment I even thought of the story of Isaac.
     
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  24. acemachine26

    acemachine26 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Bangalore, IN
    Glad you liked it and thanks for mentioning those films. Need to check those out. Do you collect films from the Criterion Collection by any chance?
     
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  25. RayS

    RayS A Little Bit Older and a Little Bit Slower

    Location:
    Out of My Element
    I do my best to no longer buy anything physical ... it’s a half-hearted attempt at minimalism. I subscribe to Criterion’s streaming channel though.
     
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