tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503508735843316282.post2293533120248320170..comments2024-02-01T01:23:04.509-08:00Comments on Dolce and Namak Talk Indian Movies: Smiles and Frowns at TIFF11Dolce and Namakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13403089235872528987noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503508735843316282.post-23782322696399712312011-10-07T04:45:17.541-07:002011-10-07T04:45:17.541-07:00Haha! No really, I was totally serious! Usually BW...Haha! No really, I was totally serious! Usually BW movies, if they even come to the major theatres, get 3-4 sccreenings a day and only stay for a week. This one had a good 6 screenings a day from the beginning and it is definitely staying for at least a second week, if not the third and fourth ones. But worry not, it will be next week for me. :)Dolce and Namakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13403089235872528987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503508735843316282.post-22065899932942731662011-10-07T04:09:51.053-07:002011-10-07T04:09:51.053-07:00Hi Dolce, I hope you were being ironical about Can...Hi Dolce, I hope you were being ironical about Canadian films staying in theaters "forever." That's why I made sure to see it during the first week, if not the first weekend (as originally planned). I hope you do get to see it soon, though. <br /><br />I have various thoughts on why it didn't work in India, but I'll wait to discuss those till you've seen it, as they will probably involve spoilers.mmnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503508735843316282.post-42901985057787549612011-10-06T06:13:48.830-07:002011-10-06T06:13:48.830-07:00Hey MM, no worries, I am having a hard time myself...Hey MM, no worries, I am having a hard time myself keeping up with the comments section these days. <br /><br />And yay! Thank you for the good review on Breakaway! I haven't seen it yet, and probably will not this weekend (it's been the week from hell, no time for anything), but will make a point to catch it next week. That's the great thing about a Canadian movie: you KNOW it will stay in theatres forever. ;) <br /><br />I was hoping basically for the same things you mentioned, so if they did deliver on those counts, the format of the story doesn't really matter. Then again, that could also be why it didn't work in India: could be one of those cases where without the cultural background everything loses its meaning (like watching Family Guy in Eastern Europe, it just seems stupid :P).<br /><br />Yay! I am so happy you liked it! Now more optimistic about it myself even if a review may be another week or so. Thank you for coming to share that!Dolce and Namakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13403089235872528987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503508735843316282.post-13210562783619130632011-10-06T01:52:05.804-07:002011-10-06T01:52:05.804-07:00Hi Dolce, now I missed seeing your response about ...Hi Dolce, now I missed seeing your response about festival films till now. I agree with you that the "bleak" description (as well as "edgy") applies to festival films in general, not just Indian films. If anything, you probably have a better chance of getting a happy Indian film because TIFF consciously tries to get the commercial stuff as well as the artier stuff.<br /><br />Anyway, what I really came here to say was that I saw Breakaway earlier tonight and found it to be immensely satisfying. The only negative points for me were the "Bollywood touches" that I assume were there to make it more marketable in India. A futile effort (as the Indian box office reflects), since they're not enough to make the film truly Bollywood style, and they only distract from its more North American style and format the rest of the time. But fortunately they were short. Before it released, with all the comparisons to Bend it Like Beckham, I was hoping that they wouldn't make it just another formula immigrant story, but point out Canada's unique multicultural policies and how that impacts immigrants from different parts of the world. Well, I must say the film delivered big time on that score, and became a truly "Canadian" film that can't be duplicated by setting the story anywhere else. <br /><br />I'm also sorry to see someone above saying it's just another sports movie of the underdogs winning, because that refers to the format, not the content. It's like saying a film is just another murder mystery where the detective catches the murder. Such a summary misses the entire point of the film. <br /><br />Anyway, have you seen it yet? And if yes, when will the review be up? If no, run to your theater and see it already! :)mmnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503508735843316282.post-48959023290018616662011-09-28T15:15:53.672-07:002011-09-28T15:15:53.672-07:00Haha! I do not find that hard to believe at all, M...Haha! I do not find that hard to believe at all, Mette! It really is THAT slow. LOL <br /><br />I don't know what to say about Mausam... it's definitely NOT my kind of story anyway, so in all fairness it didn't have much hope with me, and now that I have seen it, really not sure if it would have been a good fit at TIFF even if it did premiere. But then again, even people who like epicness have had issues with parts of Mausam (specifically the ending), so it's hard to predict who would like it and who wouldn't... But as a general idea, some of my friends in Toronto have a soft spot for Shahid and I have taken them to see other films of his on the big screen, and I didn't even have the desire to tell them about this one, that's how meh it was for me... :-/<br /><br />And what are you talking about, you definitely have me beat this summer on the films front, so don't be jealous! :) <br /><br />XOXODolce and Namakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13403089235872528987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503508735843316282.post-46152762887950995502011-09-28T15:09:19.875-07:002011-09-28T15:09:19.875-07:00Swati!!! Heya! I will definitely see Breakaway thi...Swati!!! Heya! I will definitely see Breakaway this weekend, and unless it's really bad, I will even review it. :) But keeping all expectations at a minimum.<br /><br />For Azhagar, I can encourage you further by telling you that my other two friends who came with enjoyed the first half as well, so it could just have been me being a curmudgeon there. :P And either way, it is totally worth it for the second half. It's excellent! I have lined up one of the director's previous films and now that you're saying his next one stars Vikram, then I'm in for that too! :) <br /><br />Ah, Mausam... Let's just not talk about it, shall we? :)<br /><br />And you are totally right about Deepa being slightly better when she adapts books. Earth is also the only other movie of hers I have respect for (can't quite say I liked it, for obvious reasons, but it *was* well done). She did have the help of Aamir's fabulous acting in that one though. I put the prospects of MC in the category of: how badly can she possibly f*** it up? :DDolce and Namakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13403089235872528987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503508735843316282.post-28680843749154261662011-09-28T15:00:40.691-07:002011-09-28T15:00:40.691-07:00Hey mm, sorry for the delay. Yes, I definitely wou...Hey mm, sorry for the delay. Yes, I definitely would have been able to ignore Deepa with Salman in the same room. :D But there is hope yet to see him in a lecture about one of his books, he seems to come here often enough (every couple of years), so you never know :)<br /><br />In regards to Festival films, you know, the thing is, that unfortunately applies to all films at a festival, not just the Indian ones. I think the idea of serious films at a festival is somewhat associated with the idea of bleak films. Well, with the exception of Hollywood, where it's who's in it that matters more than what the movie is actually about. But I was reading descriptions both this year and last year for other films from Europe and other countries and I got depressed just reading them!<br /><br />So it's hard to say if it has anything to do with Indian films. I mean they did have Mausam lined up (which is anything BBUT realistic! LOL)... and last year it was Dhobi Ghat which is only partially bleak, and the year before it was Road Movie which is quite optimistic, and then Dil Bole Hadippa. :D So I think they do try to get a mixed bag, but sometimes it doesn't work as planned *cough such as this year cough*. :P<br /><br />I do see what you're saying though from the point of view of the film makers, but again, it could also be what we're watching. Like I definitely have a preference for slice of life films, so I tend to watch a lot of them, while other people who like the Akshay Kumar type of comedy probably see a lot of those. There is a bit of a trend now towards more serious topics, but I wouldn't say it defines the industry. Not yet anyway...<br /><br />Also, I suspect optimistic = naive in many people's view of Bollywood simply because the movies that are over the top happy, really are over the top! :) I mean, take Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, that whole film is so over the top it probably fell over to the other side! :) So yes, most festival goers who are not used to Indian films would probably not know what to make of it. Whereas we know it's all in good fun. The counterargument to that being: Dil Bole Hadippa got very good feedback from people and it's also over the top and more about the fun than about the substance. It takes all kinds, that's the only conclusion I can draw :)Dolce and Namakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13403089235872528987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503508735843316282.post-53483428647771672082011-09-27T10:38:45.036-07:002011-09-27T10:38:45.036-07:00An editor of the German Bollywood magazine said sh...An editor of the German Bollywood magazine said she fell asleep during "Mushrooms" ;).<br /><br />About "Mausam"... I don't know if I'll watch it, the reviews sound quite negative. <br /><br />Well, you've seen a lot of films, and again, I wish I'd been there.Mettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08094234448852441633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503508735843316282.post-87732190165007196592011-09-27T05:10:42.335-07:002011-09-27T05:10:42.335-07:00Breakaway (Speedy Singhs in Hindi) has got okay re...Breakaway (Speedy Singhs in Hindi) has got okay reviews here... havent watched it yet, but from what I hv heard, its in the same zone as a lot of the underdogs emerging winners sports movies. So I will just watch it on DVD!<br /><br />Azhagarsamiyin Kudurai is a film that I have heard so much about!! I have liked the other 2 films of director Suseendhiran, and his next film - Rajapattai has my best friend Vikram as the hero, and he assures me that the script is a gem :) So Azhagarsamiyin Kudurai is high on my wish list... <br /><br />Mausam - I have read your tweets... so I think we are all on the same page :D brilliant momets and a horrible attempt at an 'epic' romance. sigh!<br /><br />Am so jealous you got to watch Michael!! cant wait to see it :) Naseer is always such a pleasure!!<br /><br />And as for Rushdie, I love him. Am a huge fan of his writing and 'Midnight's Children' is my all-time favorite book! I so wish you could have made it for the talk with him and Deepa Mehta so we could have got some vicarious pleasure out of it :P I dont think much of Mehta as a filmmaker either... but I did like 1947 Erath, which was also adapted from a very good book. So there is still hope for MC i think :)Swati Sapnahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10542220359921937139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503508735843316282.post-23674689584619871802011-09-19T01:03:33.376-07:002011-09-19T01:03:33.376-07:00Thank you very much for your roundup, Dolce. First...Thank you very much for your roundup, Dolce. First, let me say it's too bad you missed the Rushdie interview. I saw him once in a similar set up and he was extremely funny. OTOH, is it worth putting up with Deepa Mehta? I don't know. On the third hand, maybe he would have skewered her? Maybe you can talk to someone who went and learn how it went.<br /><br />I've been thinking on the subject of "crossover" films (the great goal of many Bollywood film makers) a lot lately, which has as a subset the festival film, or those films that are lauded for being more "professional" or "mature." Most of this is code, of course, for being more like Hollywood films. Now it strikes me that one big hallmark of the festival film, or with acclaimed western films in general, is that they general have a rather cynical and/or negative or bleak world view, which is the exact antithesis of most Indian films. Why is it accepted without question that a hopeful outlook is "naive" and only a relentless negativity is a sign of maturity? Most of the films from India aimed at film festivals have this built in assumption. Now Anurag Kashyap may really have this world view (he seems to be bitter about a lot of things) and so at least isn't just putting it on. But about some others, I really wonder whether they even believe what they portray in their films, and perhaps that's why the films come off as being fake many times.<br /><br />But even commercial Hollywood films all have a resolutely "hopeful" ending, however understated it may be.<br /><br />What do you think?mmnoreply@blogger.com