Archive for March, 2013

Swades: Apne Hi Paani Mein Pighal Jaana…

Posted: March 25, 2013 by moifightclub in cinema
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SRK Swades

We love films for various reasons. There are those rare films that seem flawless, every bit crafted to almost impossible perfection. Then there are those even rarer films- with jagged edges and ‘flaws’ that make them so alive and human, they become a part of you.

Swades, for me, is just that kind of film. Its sheer lack of guile- perceived by many as a problem- actually pulls me closer to it; its innate naivety almost seems like a natural companion to the film’s innocent, idealistic spirit. It is this spirit- one that has nearly disappeared from the movies- that Swades gloriously celebrates- and which makes even the ‘imperfections’ in its cinematic artifice a part of its immense beauty.

 Replete with layers and themes that are conveyed through striking imagery and symbolism across its enchantingly languorous narrative, Swades wonderfully blends mythic and fantastical elements within a realistic narrative form.

The most dominant symbol used throughout Swades is that of water- and it is indeed an interesting, though perhaps insignificant coincidence that Ashutosh Gowariker happens to be an Aquarian. 

The preciousness of human life- both denoted by and dependent on water- is something that Swades repeatedly stresses on, and this is evident in the very first sequence of the film that takes place at NASA, which epitomizes the acme of technological and scientific development and stands in sharp contrast to the electricity deprived villages in the heartland of India. After Mohan Bhargava (Shahrukh Khan in arguably, his finest performance) concludes his presentation on the Global Precipitation Measurement Satellite Project that he is handling, a member of the audience asks him whether the massive budget for the project is really justified. 

To this, Mohan replies:

“Globally, there is a danger of water recession in the near future…It will not be unreal to imagine that in the 21st century, cities like Beijing, New Delhi, Santiago… and many others will use up their surrounding water and perish. Water is going to be rare. Is this not reason enough to justify any budget?”

The divisive ancient caste system- one of the main issues that the film addresses- prohibits the sharing of water by people of different castes. Water in Swades is the very elixir of life; the sacred element which unites all those who share it in an unbreakable bond. So water is omnipresent in the film and in its visuals- sometimes subtly, sometimes more conspicuously so.

When the NRI Mohan Bhargava arrives in India, he cautiously avoids drinking anything but mineral water, staying in the sanitized confines of his caravan. As he transforms from an outside observer to an active part(icipant) of the community, we watch Mohan as he bathes, sails through- and then, in the most powerful and memorable scene of the film, drink the water of his country. This moment could well be the called the emotional epicenter of the film. Mohan’s transformation is complete- he can no longer be a detached observer.

Later, during the film’s climax, we see Mohan literally plunge into the water reservoir to make the dam turbine work, and generate hydroelectricity. And finally, of course there is the film’s parting shot- Mohan sitting on the banks of the central village water body washing himself with his feet dipped in. The camera slowly zooms out towards the sky and we see hordes of people moving towards the very same water, almost as if attracted by an invisible, magnetic force.

Swades: Feet in water

Mohan has found his roots, his people… his home. As Fatema Bi says: ‘अपने ही पानी मे पिघल जाना बर्फ का मुक़द्दर होता है…’

PS: As many have pointed out, this has unintentionally coincided with the current and drastic drought conditions here in Maharashtra. Many of us including me, living in our little comfortable bubbles like Mohan, sometimes don’t realize just how bad the situation is. So have a Happy and dry Holi, guys! 🙂

This blog is dead now

Posted: March 17, 2013 by moifightclub in cinema
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Because of many reasons which can’t be explained here, am killing the blog now. Don’t think am going to revive it anytime soon. Future? Well, nobody knows. Though i started it myself, but i could run it so smoothly only because of the regular contribution by about more than a dozen close friends who are equally passionate about films – Kartik, Pavansaab, Vasan, Subrat, Neeraj, Fatema, Varun, Jahan, Rohwit, Mihir, Manu, Sunanya, Sakshi, Sumit, Mitch, Manish, Pratim, Prasanth, Aniruddh, Shubhodeep and Screeny. Am sure am missing many more names. Apologies for that. Will keep on adding. Also, much thanks to filmmakers like Anurag Kashyap, Hansal Mehta, Kushan Nandy, Vikramaditya Motwane, Suparn Verma, Jaideep Varma.

We tried to be honest, independent, balanced, with a clear stand on issues, and without any agenda except cinema. And i hope we were able to deliver what we promised.

So those of who regularly contributed to it for making it such a fun place, thanks to all. And thanks to dear readers for making it what it is today, whatever little we could contribute in creating an interesting cinema discussion forum.

Bollywood – 1. moiFC – 0

(ps – if any of the writers want to continue the blog, please do so. You all have the log in and password in your mail box. It’s not my property, you all own it)

– @cilemasnob (or by whatever name you know me. i quit)

Is the music in “Lootera” teaser copied from “One Day”?

Posted: March 15, 2013 by moifightclub in bollywood, music, News, plagiarism
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When we put out the post on Lootera’s first teaser, i wrote that “close your eyes and watch the teaser again – i think it’s the music.” Well, none of us had any clue that it will turn out to be KLPD.

Why?

Play both the tracks back to back and decide for yourself.

So? Who is the culprit? Who has done the background score? Or have they taken the rights? Can anyone please connect the dots?

Tip – Prosit

(PS – Something similar had happened when Udaan’s trailer came out. The text was plagiarised from the trailer of Where The Wild Things Are and we had mentioned in our post.)

First Look : Vikramaditya Motwane’s Lootera (Teaser)

Posted: March 15, 2013 by moifightclub in bollywood, cinema, film, first look, News, Trailer
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Lootera

The man behind one of the best debuts films in recent times Udaan, Vikramaditya Motwane is back with a new film titled Lootera starring Ranveer Singh and Sonakshi Sinha. And as the latest trend in bollywood goes, the first look of the film is just a teaser and not the full trailer.

The teaser doesn’t tell you much about the film but just gives you a sense of the place and the mood of the film. But close your eyes and watch the teaser again – i think it’s the music. Old world charm, silent glances, character introductions and then those last 30 seconds where it kicks in – snow, gun, letters, light, fire and dhickiyoon, credits and the hero limping on snow! Now, give me the full trailer.

This completely stands out from the garbage that Bollywood is churning out these days. There’s so much silence, and most importantly, there’s NO FUCKING TEXT on screen to explain it. But this also seems to be from school of Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Just hope that it’s less grand, less manipulative and more intimate.

The credit list seems to be the same as that of Udaan. DoP is Mahendra Shetty. Screenplay by Vikramaditya Motwane and Bhavani Iyer. Dialogues – Anurag Kashyap. Music – Amit Trivedi. Lyrics – Amitabh Bhattacharya.

Though the makers have been saying it publicly that it’s inspired/based on O Henry’s short The Last Leaf, why isn’t it mentioned in the credit plate?

Reading “The Master”

Posted: March 14, 2013 by moifightclub in cinema, film, Gods of Cinema, Hollywood, Movie Recco, movie reviews, reviews, video
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TheMaster.php

Great cinema always inspires great writing. And going by that rule, the latest one to join the club is P T Anderson’s The Master. And like us, if you also love reading everything possible related to a film once you have seen it and love it, then you have come to the right place. Some of us have seen the film and googled everything on it so that you don’t have to. Also, there are high chances that once you have seen the film, you will have too many questions. This post has links to some of the explanations offered.

But DON’T READ ANYTHING if you have not seen the film.

The Master is finally getting a theatrical release in India this friday. It might not work for everyone but you can’t deny Anderson’s stamp of great film-making all over. So don’t miss it. And for two more reasons – it deserves to be seen on big screen. There’s no other way. If it works out well, we might get to see much better releases in the coming months.

At the end of the scene, Lancaster sings “(I’d Like to Get You On) A Slow Boat to China” to Freddie. And yes, it’s eerie and perhaps more than a little homoerotic, but it also feels like a twisted version of a lullaby — the most domestic and familial of actions turned into something terrifying and strange — making it clear once and for all that Freddie’s dream of becoming a family with Lancaster and Peggy Dodd is an impossibility. And freeing him, ironically, to try and form a new family — perhaps with Winn, the girl he’s met in the final scenes of the film, right before we see him lying next to the female sand sculpture, suggesting that his search goes on.

– Vulture has done a brilliant piece titled “What Is The Master Really About?: Five Interpretations”. Click here to read.

It’s hard to make a lot. That was one thing when I was working on The Master, they kept being like, “well, he’s got a tea kettle, and he’s making gallons of spirit out of it.” I’m like, “Mmm, you might get a shot of spirit out of a tea kettle.” Like that flask setup in the shed in the cabbage field? No way that would have produced a five-gallon glass carboy full of moonshine, unless you were working every day for several weeks. But, you know, movie magic.

– Vulture has also done a piece answering that million dollar question which everyone will surely ask after watching the film – Can You Really Make Booze Out of Paint Thinner? Click here to know the answer.

The haunting, utterly inward stillness of the actors in “The Master” is one of the director Paul Thomas Anderson’s most apparent achievements, and it’s no mere ornament or element of dramatic plausibility—it’s at the core of the film, as is the very question of performance as such.

– New Yorker’s Rochard brody has written a long essay titled “The Astonishing Power Of The Master”. Click here to read.

– And if you want to read about the making of the film, click here for a long interview.
In “The Master,” we’re often left gasping for air, as in the scene when Freddie is required not to  blink for a painfully long stretch of his processing. Or because of the sheer beauty of some of the compositions. Warts, wanderings, reiterations and all, this is a film destined to be processed in many different ways. And hallelujah to that.
– Michael Philips’ 4 star review is here.
There are hints of an erotic relationship between Freddie and Dodd’s daughter (Ambyr Childers) and a not-too-veiled suggestion that Dodd’s paternal yearnings for Freddie are complicated by other desires. But at the risk of issuing a spoiler of sorts, beyond a bewildering point-of-view sequence when Freddie imagines that all the women at a Philadelphia cocktail party are naked, this is a film suffused with sexual desire that has no sex in it. If you look at “The Master” through the lens of Paul Thomas Anderson’s body of work, this is a prelude to the world of “Boogie Nights,” a disordered America where nobody was getting any that led straight to the disordered America where everybody was getting too much.
– Another great piece by Salon’s Andrew O’Hehir. It’s titled “The Master: A forbidding portrait of L. Ron Hubbard’s America” . Click here to read.
All of this striving — absurd, tragic, grotesque and beautiful — can feel like too much. “The Master” is wild and enormous, its scale almost commensurate with Lancaster Dodd’s hubris and its soul nearly as restless as Freddie Quell’s. It is a movie about the lure and folly of greatness that comes as close as anything I’ve seen recently to being a great movie. There will be skeptics, but the cult is already forming. Count me in.
– A O Scott’s article is wickedly titled “There Will Be Megalomania”. Click here to read.
– Time Out Chicago also offers “An Explanation” of the film. Click here to read.

So where does this leave “The Master” on the Anderson landscape, that oddly populated terrain? Few modern films have been as crowded as “Boogie Nights” and “Magnolia,” and few have been more lonely than “There Will Be Blood.” The new work sways toward the latter. I kept expecting, and even hoping, that Dodd would acquire a tinge of Elmer Gantry—that he might start to muster large throngs to the Cause, with Freddie employed as the muscle to keep the mob in line. But the scale of the story, for all Dodd’s swagger, remains compact, and the plot slowly condenses into a blend of character studies. Look at Amy Adams in closeup, for instance, all the scarier for being so perky and correct, her features filling the screen as she quizzes the reprobate. Or look at Phoenix, lifting his head high and proud, as Brando used to do, with an added, cranky stiffness that comes from having, or being, a serious pain in the neck. The eyes narrow and the mouth is awry, one corner twisting into an Elvis curl, though it looks too sour for seduction, let alone song.

– Anthony Lane’s review in the New Yorker is here. And it’s a must read.

Why do you make things so difficult? Else it wouldn’t be fun.

–  1 hour long Q & A with Anderson
– The Career of Paul Thomas Anderson in Five Shots
If you read any other brilliant essay on the film, do post it in the comments section.

VOTD : Steven Spielberg in conversation with Amitabh Bachchan

Posted: March 12, 2013 by moifightclub in cinema
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If you were not among those lucky selected few who were invited to attend the Spielberg-Bachchan session, don’t worry, we have got it for you. Click on the video and enjoy.

Steven Spielberg is currently in India. All thanks to Anil Ambani’s Reliance Entertainment. All the prominent filmmakers of the industry were invited to attend the session.

The Hollywood Reporter has also done an extensive report on the session. Click here to read it.

Rediff’s Raja Sen has written a column on “How Steven Spielberg brought Bollywood closer”. Click here to read it.

So, what’s next? Reliance will release Commando. Himmatwala is our next big release. David Dhawan has remade Chashme Baddoor. And Bollywood will keep chasing 100 crore films. Aha, beauty.

“Paradesi” Reality Teaser- WTF is this?

Posted: March 12, 2013 by moifightclub in cinema, Simbly South, songs & videos, Trailer, video, WTF
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Paradesi is the latest film by Tamil filmmaker Bala. Click on the play button and see if you can figure out what is this “reality teaser”. And why would anyone cut a teaser like this? though am not sure if this is an official video or made by some fan. But it seems the crew members are sharing it on social media platforms, so putting it here.

If you don’t know much about Bala and Paradesi, click here to read about his latest film. Anurag Kashyap and Phantom Films are releasing the film nationally with English subtitles.

Click here to watch its theatrical trailer.

Tip – Chinu

Sudhir Mishra, Indian cinema and that infamous gallery

Posted: March 12, 2013 by moifightclub in cinema
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(A piece on the public conversation I had with Sudhir Mishra at “Wassup Andheri” last Sunday, 3rd March, written for Lucknow Tribune).

By virtue of having made a full-length documentary film on Sudhir Mishra (entitled “Baavra Mann – a film on Sudhir Mishra and other Indian realities”, to release in 2013), I was invited to host a conversation with him at the Wassup Andheri festival on Sunday. The topic (chosen by me) was why Indian cinema is not up to the mark of world cinema (apt perhaps a week after the Oscars were awarded, and even more so for the “100 Years of Indian Cinema” celebration that is on till May.)

Having never done anything like this before, I was apprehensive about how it might go but assumed that the experience of making this film (over two years) with Sudhir Mishra would enable me to draw out the more candid, less politically correct version of him (as it did in the film). It almost happened.

Initially, he spoke freely about why a filmmaker like him (who has made films like “Hazaaron Khwaaishein Aisi” and “Khoya Khoya Chand”) has lately done films like “Yeh Saali Zindagi” and “Inkaar”, by his own admission having (relatively) slighter material. He said it is not always possible to do the more challenging films, in any case, as an artist he needs a break too. Besides, the current environment is by and large not supportive of films like the former – it is very difficult to get funding for the same, and he would rather make out-and-out commercial films than no film at all. Also, the challenge of appealing to more people (“the burden of being interesting”) is something he likes to take on periodically. However, he admitted that it does bother him that he has underachieved and that he may not fulfil his potential but he hopes to fight this and squeeze out the best from himself still; he feels there is still time for that.

About the state of Indian films, Sudhir Mishra was optimistic – boldly stating that the next 4-5 years would see a revolution in our cinema, with younger filmmakers using digital technology more innovatively and decisively. He also admitted that he has not set enough of an example as a senior filmmaker in using this new technology to do cutting edge cinema (particularly because, by virtue of not having children to worry about, he had a greater opportunity to take risks) – he hopes to rectify this in the near future.

He agreed that Indian cinema, by not having to cater to any other audience except its own, has made it complacent. This, despite the fact that younger filmmakers are being able to create films on subjects it would have well nigh impossible to do a decade ago. But he expects all of this to change for the better in the very near future.

Beyond this, Mishra went back to his default setting in public – of being politically correct and playing to the gallery. Rather than report on his pronouncements, I’d prefer to make a few comments of my own here.

1)      It is becoming increasingly grating lately to find true-blue jingoism rearing up every time the word “Oscar” is brought up these days. “We don’t need Oscar approval” seems to be the new anthem in these quarters (and the gallery responded with claps too). It is fundamentally wrong because the fact is that the Oscars absolutely do put forward some of the best films of the year. From the 5 foreign films, 5 documentary films and 10 screenplay nominations (original and adapted) – at least 80% of these every single year are at the very forefront of world cinema (many of these nominated at the premier European festivals too, which Mishra said were more worthy). Even if you very conservatively credit 50% of the Best Picture and Best Director categories with this quality, that’s a further 5 films perhaps? Another 2-3 worthwhile films from all the other categories – altogether, accounting for repetitions, at least 20 great films? How much faux bravado does it take to dismiss a time-honoured standard of excellence from which we are so far removed from today?

2)      Keeping apart the issue of not enough local rooted stories being told, I was trying to explore why established Indian directors are not even attempting international films, telling international stories (given that we have a distinct language and cultural advantage through exposure and familiarity) which films like “Babel” have done in the past and “Waiting For Sugar Man” and “War Witch” did last year (in different ways). After the session, someone actually came up to me and accused me of having an “international/Hollywood complex”. It seems as if having a complete lack of any perspective is now worn with aggressive pride amongst film industry people. To answer the scornful query of another of those (who threw names of two contemporary Hindi films at me), I even expressed my own thumb rule for judging (for myself) whether a film was of international standard or not – which is if I would want to see the same film if it was made in a foreign language. Not surprisingly, it led to further derision.

3)      But the cake has to be taken by the most aggressive objection of the evening – about why I held this conversation in English and not Hindi. This is a certain brand of reverse snobbery that is gaining ground even amongst more evolved conscientious objectors than this particular one was, and it is getting tiresome. If someone has to tell them that English is an Indian language today (every bit like Hindi, Tamil or any other) just like cricket is an Indian sport, is it even worth the effort?

People have asked me why I chose to make a film on Sudhir Mishra (as if being perhaps the only filmmaker from the last 25 years who is still relevant today is not enough). Thing is, it is really not a film on him – it is not hagiography. It does not glorify him but uses him, his worldview, his life and his work to illuminate the decline that has so comprehensively set in milieus which were once marked by the sparkle of new ideas – milieus through which Mishra passed through (or is in now). The subject himself admits he has underachieved, explains why he has, and how he hopes to change that. It is as much the story of modern India as it is of Sudhir Mishra – just like each one of our own stories are. The candour and honesty with which he allowed this examination in this film was perhaps what I had hoped for in this public conversation. It didn’t happen entirely but as an admirer of his formidable mind and one of his biggest well-wishers I just hope that he doesn’t play to the gallery in his forthcoming films at least. He deserves better from himself.

– Jaideep Varma

(Jaideep Varma is a writer-filmmaker whose documentary film “Leaving Home” won the National Award in 2011. He has also published a novel called “Local”.)

Eight scripts selected for Mahindra-Sundance Screenwriters Lab – all the details

Posted: March 11, 2013 by moifightclub in cinema, News, Screenwriting, Scripts, Story / Plot / Synopsis, writing
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screenwriting-215x300Mumbai Mantra, the media and entertainment division of the Mahindra Group, in collaboration with Sundance Institute, has selected eight Indian Screenwriters and their feature film projects for the second annual Mumbai Mantra | Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab scheduled from March 10-15.

– This year’s Screenwriting Fellows are: Sarthak Dasgupta (The Music Teacher); Pratim D. Gupta (Ink); Nitin Kakkar (Black Freedom); Abhijit Mazumdar (Delirium); Terrie Samundra (Betamax); Renuka Shahane (Tribhanga); Kavanjit Singh (Television); and Neha Sinha (Forgiven).

– Creative Advisors include: Bill Wheeler (The Reluctant Fundamentalist, The Hoax), Joshua Marston (Maria Full of Grace), Asif Kapadia (The Warrior, Senna), Habib Faisal (Do Dooni Chaar, Ishaqzaade – Born to Hate… Destined to Love), Sabrina Dhawan (Monsoon Wedding), Anjum Rajabali (Rajneeti, Aaraakshan), Marti Noxon (Mad Men, Glee), Carlos Cuaron (Y Tu Mama Tambien, Rudo Y Cursi), and Malia Scotch-Marmo (Hook, Once Around).

– Mumbai Mantra received over 500 applications for the Lab from Indian screenwriters across the globe. After intense debate and deliberation and consultation with the Sundance Institute, the final 8 projects were decided.

– The Selection Advisory Committee included Dev Benegal, Ira Bhaskar, Pubali Chaudhuri, Uma Da Cunha, Rashmi Doraiswamy, Habib Faisal, K. Hariharan, Deven Khote, Prakash Kovelamudi, Ram Madhvani, Neeru Nanda, Sriram Raghavan, Anjum Rajabali, Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, Mahesh Samat, Meenakshi Shedde, and Anahita Uberoi.

PROJECTS AND SCREENWRITERS SELECTED

The Music Teacher / India

LOGLINE
The life of a small town music teacher takes a sharp turn when one of his ex-students, now estranged, a big celebrity in the far-away city today, is slated to visit the town after many years. The teacher, now lovelorn, prepares to meet her not knowing if she still bears the same feelings about him as she did those many years back.

Writer/director: Sarthak Dasgupta
With a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, a Master’s degree in Business Management, and five years in the corporate world of Mumbai, Sarthak Dasgupta realized life needed a different definition than the one he was living. Sarthak left his cushy job and set out to become a filmmaker. His debut feature The Great Indian Butterfly has screened at various international film festivals.

Ink / India
LOGLINE
A struggling journalist chances upon a scandalous story which has the potential to rock the world of showbiz.

Writer/director: Pratim D. Gupta
Pratim D. Gupta has been the resident film critic for The Telegraph newspaper in Kolkata, the largest selling English daily in east India, for eight years. His screenplay The Deaths of Ray was selected from India for the Binger Script Lab at the 2009 Locarno International Film Festival. Paanch Adhyay (Afterglow) was Pratim’s first feature film as writer-director.The 2012 romantic drama was selected as the Centrepiece Premiere at the South Asian International Film Festival in New York and was picked as the New Voice in Indian Cinema at the Mumbai International Film Festival. It also won the Best Film Award at Kalakar Awards, one of the oldest and most prestigious award ceremonies in India.

Black Freedom / India
LOGLINE
Black Freedom is a collection of five short stories woven in one film. It is dedicated to the memory of Saadat Hasan Manto. It’s about his dream of a sub-continent where people will still live as people, irrespective of religion, caste or color, where hatred shall stand abolished, where religion shall only ennoble those who follow it, not divide them into warring tribes. Sixty-five years after independence, Manto’s dream remains a dream…
The 5 short stories of Manto  that the film is  inspired from are Toba Tek Singh, Khol Do, Tetwaal Ka Kutta, Sharifan and The  Last Salute.

Writer-director: Nitin Kakkar
After gaining experience as an assistant director for various Hindi movies, Nitin Kakkar made his directorial debut with the award-winning short film, Black Freedom (2004). Since then, he has worked on a number of television projects including Prayaschit, Jersey No 10, and CID. Nitin’s debut feature film Filmistaan received a Special Jury Mention during its World Premiere at the Busan International Film Festival. Thefilm also won Nitin the Best Debut Director at the International Film Festival of Kerala and Jaipur film Festival

Delirium / India
LOGLINE
A story about six people and their manic missions…six specs of dust crisscross paths, ready to raise a storm in the endless city of Mumbai.

Writer/director: Abhijit Mazumdar
Abhijit Mazumdar is a Direction graduate from Film & Television Institute of India, Pune. He has made a number of short films, documentaries and commercials. His films have received both national and international awards. His latest medium-length film Vanishing Point is an official selection in Jameson Dublin International Film Festival 2013, Glasgow Short Film Festival (Competition Section “Adrift”) 2013, International Film Festival of India (Indian Panorama) 2012, International Documentary & Short Film Festival, Kerala (Focus Section) 2012.

Betamax / India-US
LOGLINE
With the release of the first home video camcorder, a teenage Sikh boy and a squatter Punk girl become unlikely friends and filmmaking collaborators as London sits on the brink of race riots and a youth uprising in the summer of 1976.

Writer/director: Terrie Samundra
Terrie Samundra grew up between a rural village in India, a small farming town in Missouri, and the California coast. She is the director of the award-winning short films Kunjo and A Short Tale of Xuanand is co-writer of Pooja’s Honor, the first screenplay in The Ballad of Pooja trilogy. She is a Princess Grace Award recipient, a National Geographic All Roads Seed Grant recipient, and is currently the Head Programmer at the 2013 Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles.

Tribhanga / India
LOGLINE
The film Tribhanga is a story of three women, from the same family, of three different generations. The lives of these three women overlap each other’s like concentric circles… each determining the shape of the other… each contributing to the other’s life in a very deep manner… each becoming the other’s strength in key times in their life. Their lives are like ‘Tribhanga’, the Odissi dance pose that is so disjointed, yet so beautiful, magical and mesmerising.

Writer/director: Renuka Shahane
Renuka Shahane has been an actress in Indian theatre, television and film for the past 25 years. Her work in television includes Lifeline, Surabhi, Circus, Imtihaan, Sailaab, Close-up Antakshari, Kora Kaagaz and the celebrity dance competition Jhalak Dikhla Jaa. In her film work, she is best known for the Bollywood blockbuster Hum Aapke Hain Kaun? Her first feature as director was the critically acclaimed Rita for which she won Best director for a Marathi film at the 16th Nokia Star-Screen Awards 2010. She also received the Best Screenplay Award in Marathi Films competitive section of the 8th Pune International Film Festival.

Television / India

LOGLINE
Television is a story about three men – Vijay, who is about to get married and start a new life; Ravi, who wants best for his 3-year old son and must decide between his principals and the ways of world; and Malik, who is now retired and wants to live a peaceful life.
Unforeseen circumstances have put these three men at crossroads. They must decide what path to choose.

Writer/director: Kavanjit Singh
Kavanjit Singh is a screenwriter and director from Pune, India. Kavan started his film career at Whistling Woods, graduating in Film Direction. A former Infosys Project Manager with an undergraduate degree in electronics engineering, Kavan is pursuing his passion for cinema.
His short film Jagjeet has won nine Best Short Film Awards across the world.

Forgiven / India

LOGLINE
Amidst the socio political unrest of 1987 in Kerala, a rebellious daughter from an upper caste family and her impressionable young niece set into motion a series of events that lead to betrayal and a dramatic death. 16 years on, with the patriarch on his deathbed, the disintegrated family is forced to come together, re-visit their past and find forgiveness.

Writer-director: Neha Sinha
After studying Philosophy at Lady Shri Ram College and film at the National Institute of Design, Neha Sinha has worked as a documentary filmmaker and as art director at the advertising firm JWT. She has also been a creative assistant to adman Ram Madhvani on various commercials, including the Cannes Lions 2007-winning ‘Palace’ for Happydent White, and assisted Abhinay Deo on Aamir Khan Production’s acclaimed film Delhi Belly. Currently, she works with Siddharth Basu in Big Synergy where she develops content and fiction based TV shows. Forgiven is her first original screenplay.

 (via official press release)

Dick Flicks – what’s your size?

Posted: March 10, 2013 by moifightclub in cinema, Documentary, film, Film Festival, News, video, VOTD
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unhung heroSince none of us are getting much time to write posts these days, i thought let’s at least compile cinema related interesting news bits that we come across on the net everyday and put it in a post. Otherwise it just gets lost in the timeline flood.

When i first heard the term “cockumentary”, i had no clue how to react. But that’s how Patrick Moote branded his film “Unhung Hero” – a cockumentary. And it started because of his cock size and because of which he was publicly rejected by the girl whom he proposed. The film is premiering at the ongoing SXSW Festival.

Indiewire has got a clip. Click here to read more about it and watch the clip.

Twitchfilm has reviewed the film. Click here to read.

But does size matter? Well, this isn’t the first time that the million dollar question has bothered men. And this won’t be the last. You can’t deny that it’s a serious issue. Problem is the moment one tries to talk about it, the reactions goes in all extreme directions.

And like Moote, filmmaker Lawrence Barraclough also has mini-me issue. And he made two docus on it, putting the camera on his dick. First one is called “My Penis and I” which was made for BBC. The second one is called “My Penis and Everyone Else’s”. Both the films are quite funny, sad and serious. He even talks to his girlfriend and parents about it. If not big dick, this surely needs big balls. Do watch.

And that’s not all. If you were offended by Seth MacFarlane’s “We Saw Your Boobs”, Ladies, here’s your revenge – we saw your junk. Have fun.

Pic courtesy – FB page of the film

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