“Thillu Mullu, Theeya Velai Seiyyanum Kumaru”… Titter-verse

June 15, 2013

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Two strangely similar comedies have hit screens this week – and it’s not just the déjà vu brought on by the overlapping cast (Devadarshini, Bosskey, Manobala, and the seemingly unstoppable Santhanam). Both films are centered around elaborate (and somewhat mean-spirited) con jobs perpetrated on innocents. Both feature alabaster-toned heroines (Isha Talwar, Hansika Motwani) who appear […]

“Fukrey”… 4 Idiots

June 15, 2013

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Mrighdeep Singh Lamba’s Fukrey is the story of four youngsters who, needing money for various reasons, end up at the mercy of Bholi Punjaban (the awesome Richa Chadda), a shady operator who announces her predatory instincts with animal-print clothing. Her magnificence needs many mirrors – as in her gym. (Her SINDERELLA tattoo, though, is a too-clever touch […]

Lights, Camera, Conversation… “The man of the story”

June 14, 2013

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A documentary on Adoor Gopalakrishnan eschews biographical comprehensiveness in favour of fascinating glimpses into the filmmaker’s mind. How do you begin a documentary on a famous filmmaker? Prasanna Ramaswamy, the director of Lights on Adoor Gopalakrishnan, has the man walk into a room and ask an unseen assistant, “Is the lamp in the field? At […]

Bitty Ruminations 77

June 8, 2013

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All this chatter about Naina’s introverted personality in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani just goes on to remind me of how little people know about introverts. Rather, how generically an introvert is classified as someone who’ll just sit in a corner and stare at the wallpaper. Like most things in life, introverts come in all shapes […]

Lights, Camera, Conversation… “The life and times of a hero”

June 7, 2013

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A book about Uttam Kumar attempts to get at the man behind the movie screen, with middling results. Swapan Mullick, the author of Mahanayak Revisited: The World of Uttam Kumar, writes early on about his curiosity about the man behind the larger-than-life personalities the actor depicted on screen. His curiosity is ours – for who […]

Century Bazaar

June 5, 2013

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Hindi cinema still dominates India’s vibrant film culture.

“Kutti Puli”… Beastly business

June 1, 2013

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When did Tamil cinema begin yoking its valorous heroes to wild animals? I suppose it all harks back to Rajinikanth, who first unleashed a Murattu Kaalai, and followed it up with a Paayum Puli. (There was also, at some point, the dull roar of a Garjanai.) Today, every hero who wants to ascend to that […]