Art often becomes a victim of it's own genre'. Of the very fashion or new trend it created. and then becomes resistant to change. Film does the same. For too many years it has been stuck in 'meaning'. While meaning is essential to the viewer, surely Art provokes the viewers to explore meanings for themselves. [...]
Category: Films
Lars Von Trier : Nazi ? Artist ? Free Thinker ? Should have he been banned at Cannes ?
I am inundated by the press asking for my views on the expulsion of director Lars Von Trier from the Cannes film festival for his remarks on Hitler and being Nazi. Probably because of being on the Jury of the festival last year. This is such a sensitive issue that any remark reported out of [...]
Bollywood: The Greatest Love Story Ever Told’ at the Cannes Film Festival.
On saturday night 14th May, in a Gala red carpet event at the Lumier Theatre, Cannes film festival will screen the documentary I produced along with UTV and directed by Rakeysh Mehra and Jeff Zimbalist. It all started with my conversation with Thierry Fremaux about the fascination of people with Music, Song and Dance in [...]
Are Oscars a true representation of world Cinema ?
Of course every one loves the Oscars. And would love an Oscar too. So would I. It celebrates film as no other event does. It gives you international exposure as the whole world tunes into what is becoming a huge TV event. It increases both the profile and box office potential of the film, and [...]
Love, trust and faith in directing
Beyond words, sounds. Beyond a blink, a sigh, a smile, a touch, a frown. Is there communication in absolute silence and stillness ? Is there communication in a sense of being ? Beyond just the simplistic scientific ideas of thought transfer and telepathy ? I have often felt such strong communication in the presence of [...]
What does it take to become an Actor ?
This is a question I am often asked and want to answer it as truthfully as I can You must want to be beyond the needs of being accepted as being glamorous and beautiful. Looking for acceptance from other people is to put yourself at the doorstep of unhappiness. Acting is not an indulgence. Do [...]
Did George Mallory ‘conquer’ The Mother Goddess of the World ? Everest.
George Mallory and Sandy Irvine disappeared a few hundred meters from the summit of Mount Everest in June 1924. In doing so they created the most enduring mysteries and myths of mountaineering. Did they get to the summit before the clouds covered them from the view of his comrades following them through binoculars from a [...]
Green Zone the film and the truth about Iraq
I just saw Paul Greengrass's Green Zone, which says it is inspired by Rajiv Chandrasekharan"s " Imperial life in the Emerald City". Which is a terrific book. The film may have been inspired by something in the book, but Matt Damon's character was certainly inspired by the character in Bourne Identity. Cinematically brilliant (like the [...]
Hurt Locker and a Prophet
I guess my impressions of Hurt Locker was colored by the brilliant 'A Prophet' I saw the same day. Was Hurt Locker good ? Of course it was. It was well shot, modern and created a lot of tension in the four (or is it five) sequences that the film is built up of. Was [...]
Kaminey catapults Indian Cinema in modernity beyond Tarantino
The greatest thing about Vishal Bharadwaj's kaminey is that you cannot work out why it is working. You cannot work out why you are laughing amidst the ugliness of violence in perhaps India's first real dark comedy. And why in the final moments of the film with the brilliant background song by Vishaal himself, you [...]