Animation is something that has always amused me, taught me (surprisingly true!), inspired me, entertained me and at times even destroyed me (especially during exams). Cartoons can be best described as a blank canvas for the human mind which is put to life. I saw myself (I believe many here..) growing from the humble Tom and Jerry to the unimaginably-intelligent Dexter to the lethargic Garfield and the latest talk-of-the-town, the horrible sociopath racist Eric Cartman from South Park fame. Cartoons had one solid excuse for everything incredible, incomprehensible and probably indigestible things.....they're cartoons!! Imagining Shahrukh's method of wooing the girl (& always winning her despite any circumstances) and Rajnikant's or Mithun’s gravity-defying or rather sanity-defying stunts leave us bewildered in search of logic. Cartoons fortunately don't have to subscribe to logic (which they don't usually), leaving us with stomach-aching laughter and thoroughly entertained. Something else also gives us an ache, albeit this time in our head...BOLLYWOOD MASALA films!!
Bollywood is an industry with annual revenues crossing $ 1 billion, growing at 12.6 % every year approximately and also a major client for advertising industry. With the latest news of Hrithik Roshan being the highest individual taxpayer and many other making it in the top 10, this brings light on the heavy salaries demanded by the country's so-called brightest talent. Films like KANK or the forgettable Krrrrish (I doubt whether I spelt it right!!), aptly shows where the expensive talent is going - in the drains!! If each filmmaker decides to spend the exorbitant amounts that they give to these actors (Shahrukh takes a whopping 5 crore, lucky son-of-a-b****), for something really creative in animation or perhaps in their own films by expending on technology in film stunts or really amazing computer graphics (what's the good use of being a global hub of software professionals when you can't apply that asset in your own country!), then it may work wonders in both entertainment and also fill their pockets. The most common argument of these film-makers in favour of the tried and tested formula of using the same actors repeatedly is that the public likes it. The public never ceases to get tired of ‘hero’ winning the ‘heroine’, then why should we? I guess they are missing an important viewpoint here. It should be noted that Mother India and Do Bigha Zameen which were the epitomes of Indian Cinema were both unconventional in nature.
I agree that most of them are quite antagonistic to this view of meaningful cinema; evident by Mr. Himesh’s growing popularity, but this effort is worth giving a try. People have always liked experiments provided they’re properly packaged and good in content. Jungle Book, Jai Hanuman and the latest to join the bandwagon, Meena as a part of National Literacy Mission are projects that proved our appreciation for the Indian Animation industry. Concerted efforts by involving more participation from bigger players in terms of number and revenues could spell out an animation revolution in a developing nation like India. With more participation, serious quality is bound to emerge (hopefully not in the form of cartoon version of Shaktiman!!) Nevertheless, there is no dearth of talent in India considering India’s young population, and I sincerely hope India could make it big in animation. If not with original ideas, maybe as a provider of business outsourcing illustrations, like the Koreans do for Simpsons.
Animation appeals better due to its universality of crossing language barriers. I still remember guffawing over the famous piano episode of Tom and Jerry. They surely provide an antidote to all the stress and tension one has. Kudos to the animation industry...keep more of it coming!!
Showing posts with label MOVIE-MALIGNER. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MOVIE-MALIGNER. Show all posts
Sunday, May 6, 2007
The boon of Cartoon!!
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
300 - Prepare for Gory (scenes!!)
I like doing reviews. It's sort of my favourite pastime. I could go about it for endless hours and with a right partner, it could go on for days. The movie 300 - made me think for a while and wonder - how obvious is the movie in conveying the message of valour, confidence, courage and the significance of your credo in the midst of impending catastrophe. I rather believed that this whole stroy has an equally relevant flipside to it!!
This movie undoubtedly is a toast to all the leaders who stood for what they believed is right without fear or reason in situations which were against their odds. Although it should be realized that courage is sometimes not what you have but what you choose to have. Coming straight to the point, those who would have watched this movie will agree with me that the chances of winning the battle for Leonidas were less than Bermuda winning the World Cup. In such circumstances, what should a king who is at the helm of a country do? HE SHOULD BACK-OFF!!
Yes, that is the truth or rather the wise man' advice. When King Leonidas was promised the safety of his land by the Persian King Xerxes's negotiator, he should have accepted the offer considering the long-term aftermath. A thought-out negotiation with the hidden motive of raising an army like the King's trusted man Dilios (also the movie's narrator) did after they succumbed to the mighty army at the end of the movie could have provided the right solution. He raised an army of 10K along with associate Greek empires to make the total around 40K and thus narrates the story of the brave 300 to motivate them (remember there's this scene at the end!!) Had Leonidas been so cunning or rather SMART enough, he would have averted a toll of 300 and regained his so called 'Lost Pride' too.
His situation reminds us of The Great Shivaji Maharaj in a similar dilemma during the epic battle of Pavan Khind(Ghodkind). The decision bears a resemblance with what Shivaji had to do 400 years ago. During the battle of Ghodkind, Shivaji falsely suggested he's looking forward to negotiate with Siddhi-Johar, while escaping away to Vishalgad to regroup his soldiers for a fierce battle. Although he lost his important man Baji Prabhu, he was witty enough to realize the larger picture of the importance of a king's survival. A wise decision would be to take cognizance of your position and act accordingly. Blind courage which is disoriented and which has an obvious outcome of failure is appreciated nowhere. Courage if displayed at the right time at the right place and at the right moment bears importance and is worth celebrating.
Talking of values, Leonidas did what he considered was important for the Spartans to keep their pride and honour. Although there is slight glitch to it again. The Spartan law (the Counsel of Ministers) per se suggested he listen to the Oracle and give heed to her advice, regardless of its relevance. This clearly indicates that Leonidas defied the law of the country, he ironically chose to swear his allegiance for.
The movie can be summarized as a must-watch for gore lovers. The ancient Greek replication displayed in the movie with its amazing effects and Gerard Butler's chutzpah, can be one of the driving reasons for the film's success. As for the title line, '300 : Prepare for Glory', be prepared for a lot more than that!!
This movie undoubtedly is a toast to all the leaders who stood for what they believed is right without fear or reason in situations which were against their odds. Although it should be realized that courage is sometimes not what you have but what you choose to have. Coming straight to the point, those who would have watched this movie will agree with me that the chances of winning the battle for Leonidas were less than Bermuda winning the World Cup. In such circumstances, what should a king who is at the helm of a country do? HE SHOULD BACK-OFF!!
Yes, that is the truth or rather the wise man' advice. When King Leonidas was promised the safety of his land by the Persian King Xerxes's negotiator, he should have accepted the offer considering the long-term aftermath. A thought-out negotiation with the hidden motive of raising an army like the King's trusted man Dilios (also the movie's narrator) did after they succumbed to the mighty army at the end of the movie could have provided the right solution. He raised an army of 10K along with associate Greek empires to make the total around 40K and thus narrates the story of the brave 300 to motivate them (remember there's this scene at the end!!) Had Leonidas been so cunning or rather SMART enough, he would have averted a toll of 300 and regained his so called 'Lost Pride' too.
His situation reminds us of The Great Shivaji Maharaj in a similar dilemma during the epic battle of Pavan Khind(Ghodkind). The decision bears a resemblance with what Shivaji had to do 400 years ago. During the battle of Ghodkind, Shivaji falsely suggested he's looking forward to negotiate with Siddhi-Johar, while escaping away to Vishalgad to regroup his soldiers for a fierce battle. Although he lost his important man Baji Prabhu, he was witty enough to realize the larger picture of the importance of a king's survival. A wise decision would be to take cognizance of your position and act accordingly. Blind courage which is disoriented and which has an obvious outcome of failure is appreciated nowhere. Courage if displayed at the right time at the right place and at the right moment bears importance and is worth celebrating.
Talking of values, Leonidas did what he considered was important for the Spartans to keep their pride and honour. Although there is slight glitch to it again. The Spartan law (the Counsel of Ministers) per se suggested he listen to the Oracle and give heed to her advice, regardless of its relevance. This clearly indicates that Leonidas defied the law of the country, he ironically chose to swear his allegiance for.
The movie can be summarized as a must-watch for gore lovers. The ancient Greek replication displayed in the movie with its amazing effects and Gerard Butler's chutzpah, can be one of the driving reasons for the film's success. As for the title line, '300 : Prepare for Glory', be prepared for a lot more than that!!
Friday, March 2, 2007
Movie Slandering Continues……..
After the overwhelming response I got for my earlier past (spelt four comments..), I decided I might as well go ahead with this bashing.
The Hindi Film Industry or Bollywood (which seems like a really cheap adaptation of its parent name) is strictly monopolized by some few industry magnates who virtually dictate the norm to be followed for a successful film (we need MRTP to act here). It is very reluctant to absorb new ideas and talent unless that talent is in the guise of your father’s shadow. Name any 5 people in the industry who don’t have any family influence and are still successful. Ok, we have Shahrukh Khan( that is one thing I like about him, rather THE ONLY THING I like) and probably Madhuri Dikshit but a very sparse number of such species. Abhishek Bachhan is so surprisingly lucky to hit it big time in Sarkar after 17 flops. And we just appreciate him for at least bettering his unsuccessful peers (you should see girls get floored by him….for reasons unknown to me). I mean, just compare him to his Hollywood counterparts, and you will realize the difference in the hard-work and LUCK. You have to carve out your presence there by pure talent. It’s like not like we have none in our country. FTII and NSD alumni are worth its salt anywhere in the industry. As a matter of fact to get an entry into FTII for acting is getting into the top 16 on a nationwide basis (which makes it pretty tough). But is this talent really absorbed in the place it deserves? That is something that definitely needs to be looked upon.
There is another aspect which revolves around this topic. Why show sense on CINEMA? Well, fiction is portrayed best when it seems close to reality. Quixotic, imaginary or fantasy movies sell best when equipped with technology (like LOTR or StarWars) which is out of question when talking about Indian Cinema (no, Krrrrrrrrrriiiiissshh doesn’t qualify in that league). The best advantage of meaningful cinema is that people can RELATE to it. You can’t relate to a man getting his second love back courtesy his 8 yr old daughter (courtesy Big Gay Karan in KKHH) or Sunny Paaji fighting 1500 people with as EASE as (--fill it yourself--). But you can relate to some movies for sure. Like I felt a bit more career conscious after watching Lakshya or felt idiotically close to winning basketball tournament after Jo Jeets Wahi Sikandar (…shattered dreams, huh). At some point or other we felt close to cinema, either directly or vicariously but we did. After a long time, fortunately torch-bearers like Farhan Akhtar and Ashutosh Gowariker are leading the way to a new realm. Movies on Indian historical topics (without distorting it), movies inspired by Indian literature or movies with just a GOOD story are in dire need and is somewhat catered lately, although on a very marginal level.
The Hindi Film Industry or Bollywood (which seems like a really cheap adaptation of its parent name) is strictly monopolized by some few industry magnates who virtually dictate the norm to be followed for a successful film (we need MRTP to act here). It is very reluctant to absorb new ideas and talent unless that talent is in the guise of your father’s shadow. Name any 5 people in the industry who don’t have any family influence and are still successful. Ok, we have Shahrukh Khan( that is one thing I like about him, rather THE ONLY THING I like) and probably Madhuri Dikshit but a very sparse number of such species. Abhishek Bachhan is so surprisingly lucky to hit it big time in Sarkar after 17 flops. And we just appreciate him for at least bettering his unsuccessful peers (you should see girls get floored by him….for reasons unknown to me). I mean, just compare him to his Hollywood counterparts, and you will realize the difference in the hard-work and LUCK. You have to carve out your presence there by pure talent. It’s like not like we have none in our country. FTII and NSD alumni are worth its salt anywhere in the industry. As a matter of fact to get an entry into FTII for acting is getting into the top 16 on a nationwide basis (which makes it pretty tough). But is this talent really absorbed in the place it deserves? That is something that definitely needs to be looked upon.
There is another aspect which revolves around this topic. Why show sense on CINEMA? Well, fiction is portrayed best when it seems close to reality. Quixotic, imaginary or fantasy movies sell best when equipped with technology (like LOTR or StarWars) which is out of question when talking about Indian Cinema (no, Krrrrrrrrrriiiiissshh doesn’t qualify in that league). The best advantage of meaningful cinema is that people can RELATE to it. You can’t relate to a man getting his second love back courtesy his 8 yr old daughter (courtesy Big Gay Karan in KKHH) or Sunny Paaji fighting 1500 people with as EASE as (--fill it yourself--). But you can relate to some movies for sure. Like I felt a bit more career conscious after watching Lakshya or felt idiotically close to winning basketball tournament after Jo Jeets Wahi Sikandar (…shattered dreams, huh). At some point or other we felt close to cinema, either directly or vicariously but we did. After a long time, fortunately torch-bearers like Farhan Akhtar and Ashutosh Gowariker are leading the way to a new realm. Movies on Indian historical topics (without distorting it), movies inspired by Indian literature or movies with just a GOOD story are in dire need and is somewhat catered lately, although on a very marginal level.
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Agony of watching a Hindi Film
Well, first of all thanks for coming this far. Now that you’ve completed level 1 of torture, I bet it’s a smooth ride from now on. Trust me on this one! Before proceeding further, a small disclaimer: All that is written in this blog is COMPLETELY backed by more opinions and less facts; any relation to any living being, especially Karan Johar and Himesh Reshammiya is totally out of scathing intentions and shouldn’t be even remotely taken for co-incidence.
Talking of Hindi films,(my favorite subject for bashing) I’ve always realized a discordant note of it. Some of it makes complete sense, while some is as contradictory as Elvis being kidnapped by aliens. Think on this, Vaastav -The reality (…like we can’t translate it on our own) starring Sanjay Dutt was claimed by the director to be very close to the REAL scenario of the underworld. I quite innocently accepted it until the pav-bhaji song, and the real gangster being melodious enough to sing and romance his girl in Switzerland. We complain of our films being not upto the mark with western or European films, but that’s where the underlying problem is with our films – SONGS!!
How many people actually say “Wow! A song, that too in the middle of the story, feels great!! I was dying to see this.” The answer is zero. Then why do these directors push for more songs in a country which is 70% young and the youth hates it. It’s like a standard recipe for them to churn out films like a Coca-Cola factory producing Coke. It’s a foolproof, tried and tested (has been working well till now, and hence would work in future) irrespective of the population it caters. I don’t object to showing romance or marital infidelity by Indians in New York (only Big Gay Karan knows why not in India) who are unabashedly singing in public (in case you haven’t got it , its Kabhi Alvida…and no, I haven’t seen it), but there is somewhere we should at least near logic.
And due to this unhealthy practice (as in ‘unhealthy’ for your brain), the industry has churned out crassy vocalists like Himesh Reshammiya. I know I am making some enemies here but his voice and music is simply unbearable. Can you believe more than 30% of the film’s budget goes in songs (what a waste!!). Whenever songs are played, most of the people in the theatre grunt. Barring some, most of them are unwanted and anachronistic. If they want to show love, why don’t they show the REAL THING…hehehe.
But seriously, I never want to see how to express love by dancing with a choreographed group on different days(although with the same group) wearing different costumes and singing in parts which are amazingly rhyming.
Talking of Hindi films,(my favorite subject for bashing) I’ve always realized a discordant note of it. Some of it makes complete sense, while some is as contradictory as Elvis being kidnapped by aliens. Think on this, Vaastav -The reality (…like we can’t translate it on our own) starring Sanjay Dutt was claimed by the director to be very close to the REAL scenario of the underworld. I quite innocently accepted it until the pav-bhaji song, and the real gangster being melodious enough to sing and romance his girl in Switzerland. We complain of our films being not upto the mark with western or European films, but that’s where the underlying problem is with our films – SONGS!!
How many people actually say “Wow! A song, that too in the middle of the story, feels great!! I was dying to see this.” The answer is zero. Then why do these directors push for more songs in a country which is 70% young and the youth hates it. It’s like a standard recipe for them to churn out films like a Coca-Cola factory producing Coke. It’s a foolproof, tried and tested (has been working well till now, and hence would work in future) irrespective of the population it caters. I don’t object to showing romance or marital infidelity by Indians in New York (only Big Gay Karan knows why not in India) who are unabashedly singing in public (in case you haven’t got it , its Kabhi Alvida…and no, I haven’t seen it), but there is somewhere we should at least near logic.
And due to this unhealthy practice (as in ‘unhealthy’ for your brain), the industry has churned out crassy vocalists like Himesh Reshammiya. I know I am making some enemies here but his voice and music is simply unbearable. Can you believe more than 30% of the film’s budget goes in songs (what a waste!!). Whenever songs are played, most of the people in the theatre grunt. Barring some, most of them are unwanted and anachronistic. If they want to show love, why don’t they show the REAL THING…hehehe.
But seriously, I never want to see how to express love by dancing with a choreographed group on different days(although with the same group) wearing different costumes and singing in parts which are amazingly rhyming.
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