Sahib Biwi aur Ghulam (Master, Mistress and Slave)

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Written on 1:38 PM by Hemanth Kumar


Title: Sahib Biwi aur Ghulam (Master, Mistress and Slave)
Language: Hindi
Country: India
Year of Release: 1962
Director: Abrar Alvi
Actors: Meena Kumari, Rehman, Guru Dutt, Waheeda Rehman
Awards: This movie won 4 awards at the 1963 Filmfare Awards for Best Movie, BestActress (Meena Kumari), Best Director (Abrar Alvi), Best Cinematographer (V.K.Murthy)....
Also the film won the President's Silver Medal that year


Five years after the release of Pyaasa and it's subsequent commercial failure, almost the same team of actors along with Meena Kumari this time, teamed up to act in the movie Sahib Biwi aur Ghulam. Based on a book by Bimal Mitra, the film directed by Abrar Alvi and produced by Guru Dutt, the film was about the lifestyle of the upper class Zamindars in the pre-independence era and its subsequent fall.

The story revolves mainly around Choti Bahu (Meena Kumari) who's the wife and also the youngest daughter-in-law in the haveli of the local Zamindar (Rehman). Coming from an ordinary household, all she aspires is to literally "worship" her husband, and heed and follow his wishes. But the only catch is that, he really doesn't bother about her; instead he spends his nights in mehfils, drinking all night. One fine day, Boothnath (Guru Dutt) comes to the haveli and stays in one of the outhouses and works in a Mohini Sindoor Factory outside in the city. There he comes across Jabba (Waheeda Rehman) the daughter of his employer and what starts as a silly fight, develops into fascination for one another. Choti Bahu asks for Boothnath's help in getting her the Mohini Sindoor which is rumoured to have special powers. Boothnath smitten by her beauty has unparalleled respect for Choti Bahu and it matures into a deep friendship. One night, out of desperation, Choti Bahu pleads her husband not to leave her that night and to prove that she can go to any length to please him, consumes alcohol. What follows latter on is a tale of sorrow, traditions which are too deep-rooted to change and a devastating end to what was once a majestic lifestyle.

The film is about the lifestyle of Zamindars and the women in these havelis. The usual desire for adorning more gold and leading a lavish lifestyle is questioned by a simple girl who places the desire to serve her husband above everything else. What struck me most about this movie was the way the characters were moulded in the story. Especially that of...Meena Kumari and Boothnath. Both of them start as someone extremely innocent to those who are quite confident and someone who can stand on their own feet. In that sense, I think, the major part of the entire credit for the movie should go to Meena Kumari for her role as Choti Bahu. She is stunningly beautiful and all those closeup shots of hers in this black and white movie simply illuminate the whole screen! I think the camera man was just awestruck by her beauty and every single time the focus is on her, she just stands out with her acting. Her role as a woman who would forgo the normal traditions (in this case...read as consuming alcohol) just to please her husband and later on looking after him amidst lost glory would go down as one of the best performances in Hindi Cinema.The rest of the star cast is good and in this movie too...the dialouges and music stand out. The music is by Hemant Kumar and lyrics by Shakeel Badayuni and together they have come up with some memorable songs like Na Jao Saiyaan(Don't go my dear) and others. Songs are shot in sync with the mood of the film and also they add more meaning to the characters thoughts...esp the song Na Jao Saiyaan....

Do watch the movie for the story of the pre-independence portrayal of the zamindars, the prevailing customs and traditions in the society at that time....a good and strong story...great performances, music and Meena Kumari...she's definitely the heart and soul of the movie!

To listen to probably one of the best songs from the movie...Na Jao Saiyaan....click here
Another beautiful song from the movie featuring Meena Kumari....Piya aiso jiya mein

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Pyaasa (Thirst)

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Written on 11:09 AM by Hemanth Kumar


Title: Pyaasa (Thirst)
Language: Hindi
Country: India
Year of Release: 1957
Director: Guru Dutt
Actors: Guru Dutt, Waheeda Rehman, Mala Sinha
Trivia: Named as one of the 100 best films of all time by the TIME magazine.


Cinema is perhaps one of the best medium of representing the lifestyle of people. If you consider Indian Cinema in particular, then the themes dealt with in each decades relate directly to the respective lifestyle of that time. 1950's cinema was about a country which had just become independent and this trend continued through most of the 1960's. Then 1970's changed a lot of things. There was a silent revolution around the country, Socialist and Communist ideologies were fast catching attention and correspondingly there were movies which depicted this..and the1980's and 1990's slowly shifted their focus on individuals depicting individual traits like Love, Marriage. Particularly 1950's and 60's movies were truly international in the sense that, they had such a distinct identity when compared with the Italian and French cinema. It's also considered by many as the Golden age of Bollywood.

In 1957, Guru Dutt came up with perhaps would be his most talked about movie even after 50 years of its release. Titled "Pyaasa" the flick had some of the finest talent that Hindi cinema has seen....Guru Dutt, Waheeda Rehman, Mala Sinha, Johny Walker, Rehman....the music by S.D.Burman, Lyrics by Sahir Ludhianvi and written by Abrar Alvi and singing by Mohammed Rafi. It truly is the one of the best combos of finest talent in Hindi Cinema and the result is nothing short of a masterpiece and a timeless Classic.

Pyaasa, is the story of Vijay(Guru Dutt), an unsuccessful poet who is struggling to get his poems published. His brothers despise him for being worthless and one day they sell his poems as waste paper which are inturn purchased from a store by a prostitute, Gulabo(Waheeda Rehman). One night, while sleeping in a park, Vijay overhears his poetry being sung as a song by Gulabo and follows her to the brother house. When Gulabo finally finds out that he is penniless, she drives him away, but later realizes that he is the same poet whose poems she had been singing. She falls in love with him and after sometime, Vijay also begins to like her for she's the only one who treats him with love and respect. While walking down a road, Vijay sees Meena(Mala Sinha) his ex-girlfriend who's now married to a big publisher Mr.Ghosh(Rehman). Vijay goes to his college reunion and sings a song in that ceremony and there he again sees Meena and Ghosh. Ghosh calls him to his office and offers a small job in his office. Out of desperation for money, Vijay accepts it; but Meena tries to make him understand that there's always a danger of her husband finding out about their past relationship. When Ghosh comes to know about this, he fires Vijay from his job. One night while trying to cross a railway track, there's an accident and Vijay loses his memory. But the world thinks that, Vijay has died because his coat was found at the accident site when infact it was that of a beggar to whom Vijay had given.
Gulabo takes the poems to Ghosh and convinces him to publish Vijay's poetry. Vijay's poetry becomes a huge hit and people just fall in love with him. In the meantime, Vijay's brother's come to meet Ghosh to demand for a share in the profit saying that, whatever Vijay's property was they also should have a share in that. One day, the nurse reads out Vijay's poetry infront of him and he finally becomes normal, but nobody believes him. He's put in a prison like room which is filled with insane people. Mr.Ghosh comes to know about his condition and when he reaches to see him, he lies that the man isn't Vijay. Then Ghosh also convinces Vijay's brothers that they shouldn't recognise him otherwise the whole business would be destroyed. With the help of his friend Abdul Sattar(Johnny Walker) Vijay manages to escape and goes home. His brothers refuse to recognise him saying that his brother had died. Then after sometime he comes to know that there is a public gathering which has been organized to honour Vijay, after a year of his death. In that function, Vijay sings a song which draws all the attention and he's brought to the main stage. Slowly after realising that they can turn Vijay's return into profit one after the other all his acquaintances who had earlier rejected him, claim that this is the real Vijay. And people are elated upon this fact. Seeing all this fame which he has earned during his absence and influenced by the attitude of the people around him....Vijay makes a U turn and says that he is not the Vijay whom people think. He denounces everything and leaves the society which doesn't care about one another, questioning the hypocrisy of the people. Gulabo joins him and they go away far from everybody from where they wouldn't need to go any further.

Sounds pretty normal for 21st century, but think of the same thing in 1957! It truly would have been shocking to see such a thing on screen, of a society which doesn't care about people while in reality the concept of joint family was still strong. Much ahead of its age, Guru Dutt's masterpiece was a commercial disaster. But nevertheless, this film pointed out fingers about society in an age where few film-makers dared to do the same. There are quite a few number of things to be talked about the movie.
The music of the film by S.D.Burman is remarkable and added with Sahir Ludhianvi's lyrics creates an ever lasting impression....something which you would like to sing/hum for a long time! It's pure poetry about what's going on in a unsuccessful poet's mind who's fed up with the society. Each word of the lyrics is equivalent to thousand emotions unexpressed ... especially the last song where Vijay sings about the society stands out from almost everything in the movie! Mohammed Rafi's voice adds magic to the lyrics...no wonder he's one of the best ever...perhaps the best! Dialogues by Abrar Alvi are great...they have this bitterness in them which suggests that the writer understands the thoughts of a dejected man with remarkable profoundness. Acting by everyone is good...but one person who stands out from almost everybody else in the movie is Guru Dutt himself. In one line, "He's a God in everything he does!" His looks, his thoughts, his questions, his silence....everything he does speak volumes about his understanding of the theme he's trying to project.

I think I can add more to this list, but maybe I should leave a lot more for you to experience. A masterpiece from Hindi Cinema, the flick has withstood the test of time and is still counted among the best films ever! Some people might say that, it's kinda slow and boring but maybe you should come to your own conclusion after watching this...maybe watching this movie from a point of view of a young nation which had achieved its freedom just a decade ago and coming to terms with poverty, employment, development, family values would help in understanding it better. A film like this atleast once a decade will stand as an example for others not to emulate but to get inspiration...to come up with themes that challenge ideas and perceptions. A timeless classic...with haunting music and great dialouges and acting....this definitely deserves to be watched over and over again....Highly recommended.

To download all the songs and verses from the movie click here

A beautiful song from the movie...this one is basically about how hypocritical people are...



Another nice song from the movie...this has been used in numerous ads in India over the years....

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Diarios de motocicleta (The Motorcycle Diaries)

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Written on 4:13 AM by Hemanth Kumar

Title: Diarios de motocicleta (The Motorcycle Diaries)

Language: Spanish
Country: International Co-Production comprising several countries from South America
Year of Release: 2004
Director: Walter Salles
Actors: Gael García Bernal, Rodrigo de la Serna
Awards: Oscar; Best Original Song Jorge Drexler; for the song "Al Otro Lado Del Río"; 2005) and several other awards...Click here for the complete list

I am not from South America. I am not a Communist or a Socialist...I don't know which ideology I support. I quite rarely follow music or pop culture...and one fine day, I saw a picture of a man in his 30's sporting a beard with a posture that can't be easily forgotten, I became curious and asked my friend, "Who is he?"....To be honest, that look from my friend suggested that I was the most illiterate person on Earth at that moment and how I could be so ignorant. Nevertheless, he was kind enough to enlighten me and said...."Dude, that's Che Guevera-The Cuban Revolutionary!" And couple of years ago, when I was in college, a friend of mine told me that there's a new movie on campus which is about Che, and also that it's brilliant. That day, when I saw this movie "Motorcycle Diaries", I understood the passion behind his work and how events around you can change your perspective of life and thereafter your life itself.

Directed by Walter Salles, this 2004 flick is based on Diarios de motocicleta by Guevara, and Con el Che por America Latina by Alberto Granado (Che's friend). It's an international co-production with most of the South American countries being a part of it, and in Spanish language, which I presume more or less most of these countries speak or atleast understand. The story is about two friends Che Guevara played by Gael García Bernal and Alberto Granado played by Rodrigo de la Serna.

In 1952, just a semester before Che's graduation from medicine, he and Alberto decide to go on a journey from Buenos Aries (Argentina) all the way to a leper colony in Peru, finally ending their journey in Venezuela on Alberto's motorcycle, a Norton 500 motorcycle which he calls "La Pedarosa". Che convinces his father about his journey and they start moving south of Buenos Aires, reaching Miramar where Che spends sometime with his girlfriend and promises that he would soon come back for her. Later, they enter Chile and while travelling through the country, he receives a letter from his girlfriend that she cannot wait any longer. Upon reaching a town in Chile, they come to know that their motorcycle has completely broken down and from there on they continue the rest of the journey on foot. While traveling through Atacama Desert, they come across a couple, from whom Che learns that they were being tormented because of their affiliations towards Communism and the only place where they can have some work is the mines. From then on, they come across lot of locals who tell their economic and social problems. Finally, they reach Macchu Picchu, where they are just dumbstruck to see how the course of humanity had changed in a brief period of time; a civilization which was capable of building something like that, completely wiped out and started building a different city, Lima(Peru). There in Peru, they meet a professor who tells them about the basic problem of the locals is that they don't have their own land and also their rights are suppressed. From there on, Che begins to see life differently, as someone who tries to understand the problem of those around him and treat them with love and care..especially after the duo reaches the Leper Colony on the Amazon coast in Peru. His days in the leper colony bring a lot of change and one fine day, he becomes so emotionally attached to the people that he plans to drop his Medicine plans and do something which he's thinking about now.
Here in Peru he celebrates his birthday and while making a speech, he says the following lines..

"Even though we are too insignificant to be spokesmen for such a noble cause, we believe, and this journey has only confirmed this belief, that the division of American into unstable and illusory nations is a complete fiction. We are one single mestizo race from Mexico to the Magellan Straits. And so, in an attempt to free ourselves from narrow minded provincialism, I propose a toast to Peru and to a united America"

Perhaps something which he believed in completely and something which will change him and those around him. Inspite of being an Asthma patient, he dares to swim across the Amazon to spend the rest of the night with the lepers. Such is his grit! Finally they reach Venezuela, where Alberto decides to stay back and Che goes back home as a completely different person.

Shot with a terrific mix of Documentary style as well as maintaining a normal movie like feel this is a great biographical movie. It's such a huge task to depict such an icon with complete honesty and perhaps only those who have known and completely understood his passion could have done that. I don't claim that Walter Salles has done the picture perfect job, but then you cannot rule out the true theme about this depiction of Che. It's not really about his philosophy but the events which made him think so. That's perhaps why this is politically correct and something which everyone should keep in mind while watching this film. The backdrop of the rural South America is beautiful...it makes me so wanna go there, especially Peru!

The two actors, Gael Garcia Bernal and Rodrigo de la Serna, are good. Bernal as a passionate young man who identifies himself with the locals and Rodrigo as Alberto who initially criticises Che for being so straight forward but eventually understanding what's going on in his mind; their conversations truly bring out the sense of friendship that they have. Also, the background music of the film....it's so soothing as well as something which will inspire you every single time when you listen to it.

Watch it...watch it...watch it...this is a brilliant movie and a must for everyone who own a poster of Che and for all those who wanted to know how can a journey change your life!
The film stands by its tagline which resonates even after you complete the flick and think about it days later...."Let the World Change You and You can Change the World".

By the way, if you are still wondering about that poster you have in your room, it was clicked by Alberto Korda....Click here for more info on what's been named as the "Most Famous picture of the 20th Century" by the The Maryland Institute College of Art

For more reviews....Click here

Check out this trailer of the movie....



This is the OST of the movie titled "On the Other Side of the River" sung by Jorge Drexler, this song got the Oscar for Best Song in 2005....

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Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain (Amelie)

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Written on 9:28 PM by Hemanth Kumar


Title: Le Fabulex Destin d'Amelie Poulain (Amelie)
Language: French
Year of Release: 2001
Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Actors: Audrey Tautou, Mathieu Kassovitz
Awards: Nominated for five Oscars, won 4 Cesar Awards and several others


Narrator: "On September 3rd 1973, at 6:28pm and 32 seconds, a bluebottle fly capable of 14,670 wing beats a minute landed on Rue St Vincent, Montmartre. At the same moment, on a restaurant terrace nearby, the wind magically made two glasses dance unseen on a tablecloth. Meanwhile, in a 5th-floor flat, 28 Avenue Trudaine, Paris 9, returning from his best friend's funeral, Eugène Colère erased his name from his address book. At the same moment, a sperm with one X chromosome, belonging to Raphaël Poulain, made a dash for an egg in his wife Amandine. Nine months later, Amélie Poulain was born."

This is how the movie begins! The first time I saw this movie, I couldn't understand what was going on....it switched to another channel in 5 minutes. Two years later when I saw this again, I realized what a fool I was!!...How could I have missed such a beautiful movie on the previous occasion? That was all I thought about that day. Released in 2001, this French movie directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet featuring Audrey Tautou who later acted as Sophie in "Da Vinci Code" alongside Tom Hanks.

The story is about Amelie. Her father who's a doctor thinks that she has a unhealthy heart (while the real reason is that, Amelie yearns for her father so much that everytime he touches her, which is only while doing a checkup, her heart beats unusually rapid!) and she's never sent to school. After her mother's death she becomes even more lonley and from there after she develops great interest in doing some simple, but different things. One fine day, she leaves her home and starts working in a Cafe'. Her colleagues at the Cafe' each have an issue or you can say problem of their own which makes them quite uneasy on several occasions. One fine day, Amelie stumbles upon a box hid behind a loose bathroom tile and when she opens it she finds a small treasure....a collection of small objects which perhaps a young boy had left behind. Amelie begins her quest to find the owner of the box and return this to him. After some days she finds him and is quite happy when she secretly sees how that person reacts upon finding his treasure. From them on Amelie decides that she would help people around her and make them happy; and in doing so, she will be happy too. She accidentally bumps into Nino, a guy who's hobby is to collect the torn and discarded passport photo booths and falls in love with him. But given the fact how shy Amelie is, she never appears face to face with him and is quite afraid to express her love for him....and help finds its way through Raymond Dufayel, her neighbour who's called as the Glass man by everyone....And how this happens...makes up the rest of the story.

Narrator: September 28th, 1997. It is exactly 11am. At the funfair, near the ghost train, the marshmallow twister is twisting. Meanwhile, on a bench in Villette Square, Félix Lerbier learns there are more links in his brain than atoms in the universe. Meanwhile, at the Sacré Coeur, the nuns are practising their backhand. The temperature is 24°C, humidity 70%, atmospheric pressure 990 millibars.

This is how the film ends!!...What makes this film so special is the way, the character of Amelie is portrayed...as a person who never hesitates to help others, but when it is about herself she doesn't take a step forward. Acting is beautiful especially by Audrey Tautou, and the little girl who portrays the role of Amelie when she's young...is so damn cute! Dialouges are good; but some of them are quite unexpected...in one of the scenes, while explaining the different interests of Amelie it is said that, right now she's counting how many people are having an orgasm in the city! and many more like this....for more quotes from the movie...click here

The film has got a great look too...beautiful colours, there's never a dull moment in the movie. And there are quite a few number of references too...like Princess Diana (one of the characters wonders what British are going to Princess Di's ashes...he hopes that it will be thrown in space so that it becomes a star...[:)]..)

It's cute, refreshing, romantic...a perfect feel good movie. This one is among my all time favourite movies and definitely my favourite French movie! Highly recommended...one of the best films from Europe!
For more reviews of this flick...click here

Check out this English trailer of the movie...

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Nostalghia

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Written on 8:41 PM by Hemanth Kumar


Title: Nostalghia
Language: Italian/ Russian
Country: Italy/Russia
Year of Release: 1983
Director: Andrei Tarkovsky
Actors: Oleg Yankovsky, Erland Josephson, Domiziana Giordano

"Nostalghia", the name itself brings back thousand memories with it. And with a director like, Tarkovsky making a cinema out of this theme is bound to be compelling. He definitely is among the few directors in Cinema who have given it a new meaning through his vision and whole idea of including philosophy into Cinema. This was my first rendezvous with Tarkovsky's style of cinema and also with themes that sometimes seem to be impossible to be shown on the silver screen. Something like, I have always wondered how someone can depict silence on screen without it looking out of place or how can someone make you think while watching a scene itself. But Tarkovsky does it with such grace! Perhaps, the situation in which he was in while filming "Nostalghia" also helped him in bringing out that degree of emotion...he was in exile...away from his country, Russia.

The story is about Andrei Gorèakov, a Russian writer who travels to Bologna, Italy to research the work of a Russian composer who lived there in 18th Century. He has Eugenia, as his companion who's also a translator for him. One day while roaming around Bologna they happen to meet a person named Domenico, who's said to be a lunatic. But, Andrei takes some interest in talking to Domenico and in the course of their discussion Andrei senses that he understands what Domenico is going through. Meanwhile, Eugenia is growing fond of Andrei but he doesn't reciprocate her feelings...out of anger she returns to Rome to meet a man, whom she says is going to marry. Andrei before leaving to his own country meets Domenico where the latter requests him to finish one last task on his behalf.....To carry a lit candle across a dried outdoor pool. Then Andrei leaves the place and around the same time, Domenico goes to Rome and gives a speech to a group. At the end of it, he commits suicide. On the other hand, Andrei changes his mind at the last moment about leaving the country and goes back to Bologna to finish the task what Domenico had asked him to do.

One of the primary characteristics of the film is the use of "silence" to carry forward the story. At one point, I was growing so impatient that, it was as though, the silence in the film has transcended everything and filling up the unknown part of my brain which usually thinks! It's such a demanding entity of the movie which makes it extremely difficult to sit through at a stretch. But after having the full movie and making an attempt to understand it (which I still can't), I gave up. It was until, I met a friend who had watched this movie that I kind of understood from what point of view I should think about the movie. He told me, sometimes trying to understand a movie doesn't make sense...it all about experiencing the emotion that's being depicted! He was right....

There's a sense of alienation which is evident from the use of such long gaps of silence, alienation from the family, as depicted in numerous scenes, alienation from one's country and also alienation from one's culture and oneself! The sound of water is there in almost every scene of the movie...it's almost as if it is trying to convey something...something that life goes on irrespective of what you do...also Tarkovsky masterfully uses this sound of water to convey the mood of the scene...sometimes it's slow..sometimes fast. Also, the philosophy in the movie is worth brooding upon. In one of the scenes it is said that....one drop of water plus another drop of water doesn't make two drops of water, but a bigger drop!....and in another scene....a man should only smoke when he has nothing else to do.....such things just add a whole new perspective to cinema.

Another thing which the director often uses in his films are the unusually long shots to depict a scene. And the master of all this, the climax of the film where Andrei tries to cross the pool is an eight minute, forty five second long scene without any cuts!!!...just Unbelievable!!

A work of art blended with astounding emotional, philosophical touch; Tarkovsky's Nostalghia is truly one of its kind. Don't see the film...WATCH it!!....Don't try to understand it, but EXPERIENCE it!!...it's one of the unique films which you won't forget for a long time! And if you manage to sit through the whole 2 hours of the film, trust me, you can listen to silence....[:)]

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