The film is lighthearted and at times, silly, but I really enjoyed this 3 part interview with Rekha. And will have to watch more of her films post her association with Amitabh Bachchan (when she claims to have really started valuing her craft).
I thought I said this pretty clearly, twice, but let me say it one more time. I KNOW there is a difference between the varieties of film and TV I lumped together in the first post under the name "Bollywood". I did it for a reason which I've clearly stated, at least twice. You are debating with yourself. And since you insist, the idea that regional Indian cinema is more "real" than Bollywood, as mentioned in the clip you chose, is far from uniformly true. It's exceptionally true when its Satyajit Ray. But many contemporary Tollywood films, for example, have lead male character "heroes" who are borderline superhuman.
Just saw Love Aaj Kal. Enjoyable enough modern romance between a young career woman and a computer programmer, intertwined with a second story of a coffee shop owner. It was pretty shocking for a Bollywood film, with kissing, people tumbling into bed and women in lacy bras, although it's possible they shot the scenes for both Indian and American distribution.
Diwanjimoola Grand Prix (2018) This film by director, Anil Radhakrishnan Menon, is set in the Indian district of Thrissur where a new Collector engages the fueding populace in a bike race in order to heal years old wounds. It was one of the bigger 2018 film productions in what is called Mollywood, Malayalam language cinema of the South Indian state, Kerala. I picked up the dvd over a year ago on a lark (and $5) and just got around to watching it today. Not an especially engaging movie, the low brow humor and sentimental scoring diluted some nice performances from competent actors. The action scenes amidst the ruffian characters in the city and, of course, racing scenes are the highlights. The observations of everyday Thrissur people are the most interesting apect of the film to me and what lingers after the drama of the competition fades from memory.
Salaam Bombay (1988, Mira Nair) Nair's first film was an international hit. For a little background here she is talking about its inception and subsequent influence. The full film:
Just saw Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, about a gay couple attending a wedding of one man's sister, and his father seeing him and his boyfriend kiss. Hijinks ensue, various people are supposed to get married, etc. All of this is leading up to the decriminalization of homosexuality in India. Good music and dancing and I saw it in a nearly packed theater, and apparently missed a lot of jokes that didn't get translated.
Irrfan Khan, famous to American audiences for "Life of Pi" and "Slumdog Millionaire", died yesterday. He was also in one of the first Bollywood films I saw that got me hooked - "New York". Irrfan Khan, Bollywood icon, dies at 53 - CNN
I saw this on my Facebook feed this morning and wondered if anyone here would notice. I only knew him from the few English language films I’ve seen him in, but he was a commanding presence in them. Thanks for posting Ray.
I look through the listing and saw a film where I first noticed him - The Lunchbox, a really touching relationship between two people who never actually meet.
A recommendation for a streaming Amazon Prime show, now on season 2: "Pushpavalli" It's a comedy with darkness, as the protagonist slowly drifts into being a stalker. I also watched the single season of Amazon's "Mind the Malhotras". A husband and wife go for marriage therapy, and their sessions lead to scenes from their home life. Rarely funny, often dumb, not recommended.
My loving and tolerant wife and I have gone down an Irrfan Khan rabbit hole lately. Last night it was Qarib Qarib Singlle, earlier this week Puzzle, and before that The Lunchbox. Next up will be, Hindi Medium. What a commanding figure he was!
We saw three Tollywood films last week, the best of which was Master. Yeah, the lead character was such a badass he was nearly impossible, but it was still a fun evening at the movies. The distinction between Bollywood and Tollywood is pretty much lost on me and my wife as we speak neither Hindi nor Tamil. We did run into a group of young Tamil-speaking folks at the last of the three who were curious if we spoke their language and how we came to be seeing one of their films. You said we didn't, we just loved movies and that both Bollywood and Tollywood were making some really enjoyable movies these days.
One tangible difference I noticed right away is that Tamil is spoken faster than Hindi, or something about the structure of the language leads to that result. So you better have your subtitle reading skills ready to rock at a Tollywood film. Tollywood films are also generally set in portions of the country where the language is predominant, so it's pretty rare to see a Tamil film set in Mumbai or Delhi, unless it is about living as an "outsider". When I lived in Greensboro one theater routinely showed films in Telugu, but at a premium price, between $15 and $20! Have you watched "White Tiger" on Netflix? I really liked it.
Bajrangi Bhaijaan last night. The only complaint we have about watching these wonderful films with English subtitles, is that it’s easy to miss the outstanding visual representations focusing on dialogue.
Two good Indian dramas currently on Netflix that are not in the traditional Bollywood style: "The White Tiger" and "Sir" Both about the life of the servant class.
