It occurs to me often that my Indian movies addiction is really taking over my life. I think about how I used to be so excited when visiting another city, how I used to like taking long walks in the park on a weekend instead of staying in and watching movies, how I used to listen to the sound of the city rather than my iPod when walking around, how I used to be more social. Was that ever so, or am I distorting these memories? Was I really so much more outgoing and interested in the outside world, and has this new addiction really taken over my life?
Maybe not. Because then I remember little things like not going to school one day in grade 6 because I could not wait another day to read all 500 odd pages of “La Reine Margot”. Or listening to “Ocean Soul” - Nightwish on repeat for about an hour in front of a piece of shore in Oslo, Norway, celebrating the closest I had been to the ocean up until that point in my life. Or sitting in a hammock for hours looking up at the stars. And I realize then I had been waiting for something to consume all my resources all along. I've always been easily attracted to activities that imply me sitting with no one but myself and abandoning my reason completely to an outside entity. If I were not into this, I'd probably be a drug addict. Somehow I feel better about it when I put it that way.
Some people love to be the centre of attention, for everything that happens to somehow concern or include them. If I could live outside myself my whole life and let my physical being be filled with everything around me that I love, I would consider that my heaven.
As Nightwish in their infinite Scandinavian wisdom would say: “Whatever walks in my heart will walk alone”... Cheesy to the point of emo, I know, but cheese is something that this blog will feature as a main ingredient quite often.
10 months ago
35 comments:
I loooove this. I often get that. But lately, it's been "you must have been Indian in your previous life" :D
LOL I thought about that too, but then I can't decide if I was North Indian or South Indian... Hm... Maybe I was part of a nomadic tribe and went all over the place :) Heh... Or maybe I am just obsessed, after all, that's ok too!
Hi, i got link of this blog after Aamir Khan posted it in Fb. Nice blog, but i find it is mainly about Hindi & Telugu films. And you haven't mentioned Kamal Hassan even once.
Don't get offended but you seem like a typical outsider who likes Indian films more for its dance & illogical fights & stupid repeated romance films(I hope i am wrong).
Am from Chennai (Kollyhood), so am a bit offended that you don't seem to have anything to say about Tamil films. I consider Tamil films (Certain, not all) far far superior than other Indian films. Considering the fact that it has produced India's best Director, Actor & Musician (Mani Ratnam, Kamal Hassan & A R Rahman respy) i think many would agree with my point of view.
Keep writing & watch more Tamil films. :)
Hey mukundh, I don't get offended at all, because I AM the typical outsider who likes Indian movies. And that's the whole point of this blog: to get other typical outsiders to relate to Indian movies, in any way they can. Once they get to them, I'm sure everyone goes in their different directions, but I try to blog about movies that I think will catch a Westerner's eye without any knowledge about politics in India or life in India in general. Sometimes I manage that, sometimes I don't but that's the intention anyway.
I for one have moved on from the big masala Hindi movies to more offbeat ones, even if I haven't blogged about many (in only 20 posts), and yes, I admit even though I have seen quite a few Mani Ratnam movies, I am still relatively new to Tamil movies that are not mainstream. Only so many hours in the day... what can I do? :D But I do try to broaden my horizon as much as I can in as many directions as I can... all while spreading the love for what I have seen and what I have loved.
Hahaha don't i know how you feel... about both indian movies and Alexandre Dumas.. let's just say that if MY books would have been poisoned i would have died just like Charles IX... as far as indian movies go... i don't seem to be able to watch anything else at the moment. Luckly i have another romanian, just like me, and an american that are almost as interested as i am so we couple up to watch the movies (after i screen them and declare them worthy of watching) hehe
PS. I took the Three Musketeers with me at school and finished the whole book in 2 days! :)
Well there are many mainstream films that are critically acclaimed also ( and mostly big flops). And many of these films can be enjoyed (if not fully but partially) without any knowledge of Indian life style & politics. i wish u could blog about those films. i am very appalled by the fact that u like Telugu films. among all Indian film industry Telugu film industry is considered to be the most illogical & stupid industry which concentrates only in mass masala films. I guess i can compare Telugu film industry with films like Twilight series or Transformer 2. makes a lot of money but they are not worth a watch. However there are also some good telugu films. do review them. Bommarialu is one of them. I also should mention that Tamil films are also similar to Telugu films. But there are those certain Tamil films which are seriously good & original.
I do hope u see & write about films that are really worth. not the masala ones.
LOL Mukundh, if you really are appalled that I like Telugu masala, then this may not be the best space for you to read on :) But I'm glad you pointed that out because it's something I've been meaning to voice for a long time: see, the beauty of being a Westerner is that I don't have to care about how a movie industry is "perceived" by Indians. I can like it or not like it, but the preconceptions about it that Indian people have just don't affect me. My desi friends (mostly North Indian) are also appalled that I like Southie masala, but they respect my tastes. I admit to being a victim of prejudice when it comes to Western movies (and I wouldn't watch the Twilight movies if you paid me for it), so I see where your prejudices are coming from, but when it comes to Indian movies, I go strictly by what I like and what entertains me or moves me. And I prefer the honesty of Telugu masala who knows how to not take itself too seriously while still remaining wildly entertaining, than some movies that do take themselves seriously and fail to impress me because they don't do even basic research on the topic (and if you want specific examples, the first one that comes to mind is critically acclaimed Kurbaan).
But that doesn't mean I'm not open to all kinds of movies, so if you have any specific recommendations, I will gladly take notes. (But I can tell you right now you'll never see Bommarillu reviewed on this blog because I did not like it at all: two immature characters with no spine? No, thank you!).
See, I know I have different tastes, but I write this blog in the hopes of other people having the same different tastes as me, and appreciating some of the quirky stuff that I appreciate. And if they don't, that's fine too.
I think I just appalled you even more, eh? :D
@ Roxanita: it's so great to have company to watch movies! That's the way to go. And I hear you about having to screen them first, I'm always afraid to show a movie that I haven't seen, isn't that so silly, as if I can control what they will think of it anyway? :)
Happy you enjoyed the Romanticism post! We worked a lot on that one, I hope you got to also read Jjake's! It was lots of fun finding the parallels :)
so... so... curiosity killed the cat but... which part of Eastern Europe are you from? :)
Kurbaan critically acclaimed!!! It s news to me!!
And lol. am more appalled.
The reason is people like me think or expect that at least outsiders would appreciate the finer classics of Indian cinema. Bc the Indian population is illiterate & fooled my the masala movies.
The reason i liked bommarillu was because it was diff romantic story in midst of stupid repeated stories. the acting of both the leas actors was good.
And am not sure wat movies to recommend. there is the language factor. and also what you would like. Anyway here goes.
1) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0364647/ Virumandi. Dir by Kamal hassan starring himself in lead role. A village story wit lots of violence. shot in akira kurosowa's rashomon style.
2)http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0367495/ Anbe sivam. Literally translating to love is god. also dir by kamal hassan ( thou in credits u see someone else's name) & starring him. A story about love, god, life.
3) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093603/ Nayakan. Dir by mani ratnam starring kamal hassan. A desi verion of Godfather based on real life story.
4)http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0294264/ Aalavandan. Story of identical twins. one who is mentally confused & other who is a army officer. Story was written my kamal hassan in 1980s..
5)http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0312859/ Kannathul muthaital. A peek on cheek. Mani ratnam film. About a sri lankan kid who was adopted my Tamil parents & the kid's journey to find the real mother
Lemme kno which films among these u liked. i wil try to suggest more depending on ur taste..
Hi Dolce, good evening Namak - As another outsider who loves Indian films I have to say I agree with you. It's good to have the freedom to research and explore based on what I like, not on any state or language based lines. I certainly make a lot of judgements about Aus/UK/US cinema based on the context of growing up in Australia. I appreciate the freedom that comes with the lack of background, and am enjoying learning as I go.
I will agree with Mukundh on 2 recommendations on that list that I have seen - Anbe Sivam and Kannathil Muthamittal. Both star Madhavan and have some substance (although there is an improbable romance featuring Kamal Hassan in Anbe Sivam). But I have seen an awful lot of fluffy, silly illogical Tamil films too (often very enjoyable) so I resist the notion that any state based industry has any innate superiority. Kamal Hassan made some excellent films in Telugu too :)
I think do what you're doing, and watch the actors and stories you love. I'm really enjoying reading your notes from the journey!
@ Roxanita: hehe, honestly, that's something I am not yet ready to share with a few hundred people reading this blog these days :) Already way too much personal information about me bouncing around. When we know each other better, maybe I'll tell (or maybe you'll figure it out yourself ;))
@ Temple: a familiar face!!! Yay! Things are starting to go back to normal then, do I dare hope? :) I'll have to reply at length to mukundh, but I will note Anbe Sivam since you seconded it. I know what you're saying about no industry being superior to another, I find the concept odd (and immature) to begin with, which is why I didn't even comment on that. They each have their own flavour and if you find something to enjoy in one, then that's all that matters, right? Thank you for the encouragement, I had no intention of changing my preferences :)
And as an aside, didn't get a chance to comment, but enjoyed the last post from you guys tremendously!!! So jealous for the atmosphere! That kind of craziness never happens around here, people are so proper LOL
@ Mukundh: Thank you for the recommendations. How did I know there would be some Mani Ratnam in there? :) I have actually seen K.M. and didn't enjoy it enough to write about it. Not sure what it was about it that just left me cold, maybe the concept of "what kind of parents will take their child to a war torn country on a whim?" See, you have to understand I watch movies with my own background, and the emotional part more often than not does not win over the rational part. So questions like that will sometimes ruin the experience of a movie for me. The spoiled little brat in KM didn't get any of my sympathy. Simran made that movie for me, but the story left me cold. Intellectually I could see what they were doing and I appreciated the points the story made, but it nonetheless left me cold.
Bommarillu, again, we get into what you are used to and what you expect. Maybe this movie is so loved because it was so different, but to me it didn't seem all that different. I hadn't seen the millions of stories that are the same before, so to me the fact that it was different from them meant nothing, and the acting, ahem.. the less said about Genelia's acting in that one, the better. Thank God for Prakash Raj and Siddharth but I will watch Konchem Ishtam Konchem Kashtam over Bom. any day!
I won't get into debating the idea that being illiterate and liking masala movies go hand in hand because I prefer to think that that's not what you were saying there (about Indian people or any other people). There must be a reason why plenty of people with plenty of education (including myself) enjoy masala and I don't believe intelligence or education have anything to do with what entertains one.
But to end this on a bright note, I do whole heartedly thank you for the Kamal Hassan recommendations, I had been meaning to try a few of his films, and this is as good a place to start as any. I will add a couple to my shopping list. And I already have Nayakan, I think, just a matter of getting it watched.
hahaha ok.. whenever you need to relieve the pressure and need to whisper it to someone :)) i'm here for you..
I find it funny how popular indian movies are in our neck of the woods.. even now going on romanian tv channel webpages, you can find many indian movies shown. I personally started in the early '80, ehem at a very early age, with a movie i recently had a chance to watch again. It is one of the best movies of the yester years, from '69 Aradhana. And even thou i saw it today thru adult eyes, i still cried and it still touched me. I guess good things never go out of fashion.
As for the conversation on Tamil and Telugu movies.. i've been told to watch movies in those languages as well (A peck on the cheeck has been on my netflix list forever to watch online) but to be honest, i just started to understant some words in Hindi.. i don't want to feel that lost again, so soon.. so a lil' later...
Till then, read you soon :)
Reg KM, i am sure u didn't understand some part of it!!! The whole process of why the parents decide to take the child (the child was the cause of their marriage) is explained clearly.
Guess the lang part and the regionality part & the politics involving the situation make things diff for others to understand.
About illiteracy & cinemas, yes there need not be a connection since i find many of my frnds njoying non sense movies. but you have to understand that Twilight being a hit signifies nothing but love of that movie. where as in India the reason why such non sense movies are hit is because the people are drawn into it & are being fooled. agreed that cinema is entertainment. but do u know how many people started smoking just cause their superstars smoked on screen. the people here think the actors are demi gods. one incident that still now stands clearly in my mind is that of release of tamil super star Rajni's Chandramuki release. the tickets for first few days were sold at Rs 1000 in black by the fans association. the normal rate is 120. and i saw a family of four holding tickets proudly saying they bought the ticket for 1000rs each. they were beggars. imagine the impact the superstars have of people's family from this. i don't mind people njoying masala films. i also sometimes njoy hollyhood masala films like transporter, shoot em up etc. but work-shipping them??? and at wat cost???
Again to bommarillu. Genelia's acting!! Well you have to understand that is her character. The film s more of a fantasy than a fiction. like a pixar film..
I do hope u njoy some of the recommendations.
Hey Mukundh, it's funny you should mention smoking and scalpers because they are both quite a popular phenomenon over here too. It's not resticted to India and it's definitely not restricted to illiterate population.
Not sure who exactly you blame for the fact that movie tickets get sold at ridiculous prices, I don't approve of it, of course, but I also think this problem would not exist were it not supported by demand from people who will pay anything to see something NOW. It's only the product that's different, the phenomenon is the same over here: if you saw the lineups that take up the entire length of a mall and the prices people are willing to pay for an iPhone 4, you'd probably shake your head at that too (just like I am). And these are people with university degrees. And just like Rajini's movie, the iPhone will also be there next week, for a normal price. But some people just have to have it... NOW. What to do... So rest assured, brainwashing is not an Indian phenomenon. At the same time, I wouldn't put the blame on the iPhone for that, just like I don't blame masala movies or stars for the reactiosn people have to them. If one is willing to spend ten times the price of a ticket/item, then the value of having that ticket/item in their hands at that very moment must be equal to what they are willing to spend. Otherwise they would simply wait a week. So I continue to not see your connection between masala movies and people "being fooled" or manipulated into liking them.
Interesting take on Bommarillu, I never thought of it as a cartoon. Maybe had I known that before watching I would have enjoyed it more (hm.. on second thought, that's doubtful). As it was, it made Genelia insufferable to me for many many months & movies. Whether it was the character that made her annoying, or the acting, neither answer would help in me liking the movie more at this point, no matter how much I think about it.
I am really having fun with this conversation, but I really don't think this will change either of our opinions on things: I will still think Telugu masala is a ton of fun and, well, I was already very open to recommendations for good Tamil movies, so that didn't change either. Also, pretty sure nothing I say will convince you to see things my way :) Which is cool, we can just agree to disagree. I am more than happy with the outcome: I got some good movie titles from this! :D
@ Roxanita: it's a deal! :) And I looked up Aradhana: Sharmila Tagore, you say? Hello! :) I'll have to make time for this soon. I seem to be terrible with Hindi oldies: all the ones I've seen I have loved, but with so many new movies coming out, it's so hard for me to choose an oldie from the pile over a new and shiny one, even if the new one may not be as good as the old one (debatable, of course). So I have many oldies I bought and swore I will see, that I still haven't seen :(
Sometimes having access to them on TV is the best way to get an accurate image of the whole industry... I just rely on recommendations, but that's also ok, because usually that saves me from a lot of bad movies.
Don't worry about regional cinema if you're still in passionate love with Bollywood :) There's a time and a place for everything, but it's good to know you have an alternative if ever you get tired of Hindi films or just need a change :)
Actually i found both Aradhana and Amar Prem with Sharmila on youtube, user rajshri .. they have a lot of movies on there, some subbed some not... :)
Well, i know who you can blame for the ticket prob. Rajni. It is done with his knowledge by his fans asso. The fans asso are given all the ticket by the theaters & then they sell it off to boost the profit. This is because there is a law in our state that ticket prices should not exceed 120. So the tickets are sold in 1000 & Rajni gets the black money. V ironical since in his last "Super hit" he was portraying the role of a rich, honest fellow who fights the system, corruption, black money, terrorists, aliens and what not..!!
Am not sure how to explain my attitude towards masala films. A masala film now and then is ok. But going just on masala films is bad. Ya, cinema is entertainment but it also needs to teach people something since it is the most powerful media. Am sure the situation in India is diff from other countries. The concepts (like brainwashing) might be the same but consequences are v diff.
On a lighter note, if we agree to disagree then we would have agreed on something so lets agree not to agree ie let us disagree to disagree!!!
hahah mukundh.. i did a retake on that last paragraph because at 3 am my brain could not process..
Just to insert myself in the conversation.. even thou i try to select a bit the movies i watch i have to say sometimes i do watch some of those where they say "leave your brain at home". Sometimes life is too serious and you need some disconnect.
About the ticket prices... I've never been to India, but i assume there is a large discrepancy between rich and poor. That leads a lot of time to corruption, so what you're telling us doesn't surprise me at all... i mean this is just the price of movie tickets. I'll give you a serious exmple. After the revolution in Romania in 1989, there was a lot of humanitarian help sent from the West (as we called it). I know people that took their old clothes and replace the good clothes send from the West with their old rags.. so what do you expect? people are easily corrupted when they can get away with it. And they can.
Finally I have time to come back to this conversation.
Roxanita, thank you for the youtube channel, I had forgotten about rajshri, it's a really good source for oldies. Thanks for reminding me!
About the scalping issue, I see where you both are coming from, and all I can say is, it's human nature to take advantage of something if you can (read Saramago's Blindness, it's quite the insight into exactly how much the eyes of society act as a second conscience and what it would mean to not have them upon you). And of course that's as wrong as it gets. But if we start a debate on that I'll never leave my laptop, so maybe I will refrain from moer thoughts on that general topic.
But to me, in the particular situation of movie tickets, this situation does not need to exist. If people were not willing to spend a stupid amount of money in the name of their fandom to see something "right now" as opposed to two weeks from now, this entire situation would not even exist. So I won't go into does Rajini know about it or now because I am not in the business of bashing people on this blog for anything other than bad acting, but I will say: the people willing to spend that kind of money to see the first day first show of his movie, are also the people who put him up on the pedestal and made him a superstar. So if they are willing to pay the price for their fandom to that extent, then I personally will not feel the least bit bad for them.
I've done stupid things for actors that I was crazy about, but I took full responsibility for my stupidity if they ended up costing me. "Free will", as Al Pacino would say, "it's a b**ch..." :D
Also, just to clarify, mukundh, something tells me you have the very wrong impression that I watch ONLY masala. If you actually read through the rest of my posts, you will probably realize you could not be farther from the truth. I just recently got into regional cinema, so it's too early to decide what kind of movies I will like best from those industries, but I'm actually pretty snobby when it comes to Hindi movies (and you probably did come on this blog, just like the rest of the visitors from the past week, through the Dhobi Ghat page which is a movie that is not even in the same universe as masala).
But that's not the point. The point is I'm not defending masala because it's the only reason to watch Indian films, I am defending it because I personally enjoy it along with all the other films I watch and see no reason to become a snob and only watch gritty political dramas coming out of India just because Indian people think masala is garbage. And I will continue to promote masala on this blog (along with other kinds of films that inspire me to write something) because I still think for the vast majority of people it is the best gateway into Indian movies.
@roxantia welcome to the conversation :)ya i also watch stupid entertaining movies lots of times but there s a limit to it..
@dolce well at least choose good masala films den.. wat majority thinks is not always right. and gritty political dramas aren't the only other genre coming out of india..
lets consider QT & RR's Grindhouse or Machete (i haven't seen it yet but am assuming). now that is a masala film.. it was owsm. njoyable.. and take resident evil afterlife. it was meant to be a masala film. but it was boring most of the time. good 3d here and there & other than that not at all impressive. it was like ya i have seen this already in previous part.
assuming you also have more or less same opinion abt the films mentioned, why shouldn't i expect u to review & njoy good indian masala films.. instead you seem to njoy really non sense masala films.
Haha! Mukundh, you're cute! :) "Why shouldn't you expect me to review good masala films?" A very good question. Well, for one, because this blog is not about what you as an Indian expect, because as much as I enjoy talking to you, you're not my target audience ;) I know the balance of readers has been shifted a bit because of this Dhobi Ghat review, but I generally do not aim to do reviews on this blog, nor do I aim to be read by the people who grew up with these films, that's not my focus. If they read it and enjoy it that's great, but they're not who I aim to convince.
Secondly because what you think is good masala and what I think is good masala, are clearly two very different genres. Since we disagreed to disagree on that one ;), I suppose it's still up for debate, but you're going to have a very interesting experience trying to make sense of my tastes, let me tell you. And I don't think you have so far, even though you are convinced you have.
And thirdly, I haven't seen any of the movies you talked about (I don't really watch Hollywood and if I make an exception it will not be for a violent movie) but generally speaking if nonsense is done well, then I see no reason to reject it. And yes, I do like Munni Badnaam, as the perfect example of what you would probably think is the bottom of the pile or garbage and I think is awesome, while still recognizing that it's trashy. I like it BECAUSE it's trashy, and because it KNOWS it's trashy. I have this argument in real life with desi people all the time, and I think there's a sense of humour issue here that doesn't let us understand each other: what I think is funny they don't and vice versa. I find
Telugu masala funny and fun, but have not laughed once at a show like Futurama and I did not laugh once when watching Peepli Live (instead found it to be one of the most depressing movies I have seen lately), to give you two very different examples. What to do... different strokes for different folks...
I do hope one day you will read my posts and hopefully find something you enjoy reading here, but... I can only hope :)
LOLZ!!!! U gotta review some good Indian films then. I guess there is a large diff of opinion bet us. Anyway there is one more crap film releasing tomo. U should have heard about it. Endhiran aka Robot. Am sure this is a film you will enjoy. Watch it and lemme know..
Haha! Mukundh!! My toughest critic! :D I thought the Munni Badnaam reference had been the cherry on the cake for you. :P Glad to see you're back! I think part of the problem here is that I saw a lot of the "good Indian films" at the beginning of my Bollywood watching career, and have been talking about them for years, so I'd be bored to review them now. Plus if they're that good, everyone's reviewed them, what more can I say? But you never know when the mood to rewatch something strikes, stay tuned!
But don't expect a review for Endhiran. I'm planning to see it, but I don't expect it to be a movie I will want to promote on this blog. Unless it's in the "so bad it's awesome" category, I will probably keep my opinions about it to myself.
Oh, this reminds me: for your own good, stay away from my next post too, knowing you, you're probably not going to consider my upcoming review of Meenaxi in the "good Indian films" category. :P
U saw Meenaxt?? The Mf Hussain film?? Cool. I haven't seen it yet. It was not released in India cas of some prob or other. and was not able to find it online also!! :(
Reg Munni Badnaam, i don't see that much of Indian films. Am more interested in Eng movies. so only rarely do i watch tamil or hindi movies!!
However i will try to catch munni..
Lemme kno how u felt abt Endhiran. I hav a feeling u will like this kinda of movies :P
Yeah, I read about the Meenaxi controversy on The Bollywood Fan's blog. Very interesting, but then I can never claim to understand these things. I bought my copy from induna.com, and as far as I know they sell in India too, so it might not be too hard to find if you want it.
Munni Badnaam btw is not a movie, it's a song. Surprised you haven't heard of it, I thought it would be everywhere by now. It's from Dabangg, which I sincerely do NOT recommend to you :) It's probably everything you hate about masala (ahem... and I love :P).
You're really curious about Endhiran, eh? Well, I'm going this week, with a friend who feels about Indian movies pretty much like you, so we'll see how many giggles it gets out of us.
OMG!!! Dabangg!!!!!! No please. Was really unfortunate to see that bloody film in the first wk itself.. Total shit. Worse than Tamil films. And it s a big hit..
And i jus came from watching Endhiran. It crap as usual, but made on a huge budget.. But everyone says it is the best movie in India bla bla bla bla.....
ROFL! See, I knew you'd say that about Dabangg :P
It wasn't that tough to predict it :) Actually i had gone to the film with good expectations. Everyone was saying it was a owsm film. So me n my frnds went to the night show. Well, we were disappointed that it was just a masala film. Anyway we had a nice time in the movies.
Indian movie took over my life long ago, I just accepted that fact!! Haha.
It's a much better overboard-obsession than say drugs or alcohol I'm thinking, so no worries :D
Hey Gauri, I know, right? Everyone has a weakness... otherwise they're not to be trusted :D
Dolce ur weakness is clearly Telugu movies :D
ROFL! And yours, Mukundh, is that you're such a trouble-maker! :D :D
Temme something new. Bored of hearing this since i joined school 18 yrs ago...
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