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Interview: Alphonse Puthren (5 years of Premam)
For more, subscribe to FILM COMPANION SOUTH: http://bit.ly/2xoNult Copyright ©2020 Film Companion.
The late Michel Piccoli in the role of his lifetime, as an artist in Jacques Rivette’s ‘La Belle Noiseuse’
May 28, 2020
It’s not about the product. It’s about the process. If you romanticise art, this film is a kid-in-a-candy store experience. The French actor Michel Piccoli died on May 12, and when I looked at his filmography — filled with great works like Godard’s Contempt and Buñuel’s Belle de Jour — one film stood out. It’s […]
Readers Write In #195: My journey to Indian cinema and this blog
May 26, 2020
(by Hakimo Brahim Belaout) If you happen to mention something about Indian cinema while you are in Algeria the most obvious response would be ” Janitou “. A term that literally has no meaning is actually a mispronounced and wrongly written abbreviation of “ Jaane Tu “. If you demand a clearer hint or explication […]
Readers Write In #194: Devdas, Melancholia, and the City.
May 25, 2020
(by Sagar Tetali) Why Devdas’ depression is about more than just Parvati, and why it is political. Indian cinema returns to Devdas every few years, ostensibly, due to the diktats of commerce—a successful formula—but also, it seems, as a way of understanding his predicament, like someone telling and retelling a story, remembering details and attempting […]
Readers Write In #193: The Boy Who Continues To Live
May 25, 2020
(by Abishek Balaji) Revisiting the pop culture phenomenon of our generation Corona virus made me do, as RandeepHooda said, the one thing I thought I’d never do – clean my room. While navigating through mountains of clothes,gadgets,question papers and books, I had a near-Imtiaz Ali moment- I made shelf discovery. In it was 4 of […]
Readers Write In #192: Why did you dial her, Karthik?
May 25, 2020
(by Harish S Ram) It all starts with Karthik struggling with writer’s block. As his mind longs for Jessi’s presence, his hand dials her number, hoping she would bring him out of this abyss. What should have followed is an epilogue to the original film or a prelude to a sequel. However, what I saw […]
Readers Write In #191: ‘Tamasha’ – It’s always the same story, yet it is a story like no other
May 25, 2020
(by Sai Krishna Ramavajula) I was following the teaser, trailer, andthe songs of ‘Tamasha’ before the release of the movie. It is an Imtiaz Ali movie, it has Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone. There is A.R. Rahman’s music, Irshad Kamil’s lyrics, and Mohit Chauhan’s vocals. There is Ravi Varman’s beautiful cinematography as seen before in […]
Posted in: Cinema: Hindi, Readers Write In
Readers Write In #190: On the spirit of Rangeela/Bombay…
May 25, 2020
(by Aneesh J) That free-flowing spirit of Aamir aided with Ramu’s love/lust for the Bombay film industry& Amitabh… Hardly has any-body been able to capture the spirit of the Bombay film industry likeSai Paranjapein the ‘80s and then, Ramu in the ‘90s. Ramu’s ‘Rangeela’ especially stood out to me; since in December 2019, I visited […]
Posted in: Cinema: Hindi, Readers Write In
Interview: Gautham Vasudev Menon (on Karthik Dial Seydha Yenn)
May 25, 2020
For more, subscribe to FILM COMPANION SOUTH: http://bit.ly/2xoNult Copyright ©2020 Film Companion.
Devi Complex turns 50: Here’s to theatre love, which is different from movie love
May 25, 2020
The theatre right at the top was Devi Paradise, with that winding walkway. While coming down, you’d feel like you were in an anti-gravity amusement park ride. Spoilers ahead… When the 23C bus began its ascent on the Gemini flyover, it was time to close the book I was reading, get up from my seat […]
Malang, with Aditya Roy Kapur and Disha Patani, is on Netflix: A rewind of Mohit Suri’s not-bad pulp thriller that should have been much better
May 23, 2020
This film is made for OTT. At home, the romantic nonsense is easier to brush aside, the second-half twists become just the thing you want on a lazy evening. Spoilers ahead… Mohit Suri’s Malang may be one of those films that’s made for OTT. One, its flavour is — in itself — quite OTT: it’s the […]
Posted in: Cinema: Hindi, Television / Online
Readers Write In #189: A look at Greta Gerwig’s Little Women (on Prime) through the prism of the book it is based on
May 23, 2020
(by Aparna Namboodiripad, who comments here as tonks) I’ve often asked myself why I am so fond of 19th century novels. I never get tired of re- reading them, and find myself repeatedly moved when I do. One reason probably is that classics are stories that have withstood the test of time, so there are […]
#AskBR – On cinema
May 22, 2020
In which I answer a few questions on an older film… or a new one… or talk about actors and directors… or take on a few YouTube comments… For more, subscribe to FILM COMPANION SOUTH: http://bit.ly/2xoNult Copyright ©2020 Film Companion.
Readers Write In #188: Blind on the Boulevard : Decoding Mulholland Dr. from David Lynch’s ten clues
May 22, 2020
(by Piyush Pratik) In Blue Velvet, David Lynch chopped out an ear. With Mulholland Dr., he chopped up an entire narrative. Widely renowned for making no sense at all, this classic lacks any officially ‘approved’ interpretation (any work of art worth its salt would). Now, since there is no fear of the filmmaker ever dismissing […]
Posted in: Cinema: English, Readers Write In
Readers Write In #187: The future of cinema…
May 22, 2020
(by Kavithalaya Krishnan) Cinema and the way it was celebrated will never be the same again… the fear has been planted. It will take another generation to get over this. Cinema is not a social necessity. Only an indulgence. Human society will survive without cinema. As it did before cinema was born. It’s an addiction […]
The Amateur’s Art #48 – Dreams (Tamil, with English subs)
May 21, 2020
See here for what this series is about. Director’s note: Dilip a paper boy of twelve wants to meet Dr.A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. Kalam Sir accepts his invite to attend his school annual day event. What happens then is the rest of the story.
Posted in: Short Films, The Amateur's Art
Readers Write In #186: Karthik Yenn Dial Seytha?
May 21, 2020
(by Hariharasudhen Nagarajan) A Gautham Menon film receiving negative reviews has become increasingly common in recent years. Unaffected by brickbats and coronavirus, he takes up the daunting task of continuing to trace the lives of two of his iconic characters in his film Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya. I am wary of sequels or any sort of follow-up […]
Alexander Zolotukhin’s ‘A Russian Youth’, set during WWI and now on mubi, is a perfect contrast to Sam Mendes’ ‘1917’
May 21, 2020
The most fascinating aspect of this “war movie” is the parallel narrative set in the present day, where a conductor is rehearsing with his orchestra. After a century of cinema, when nearly every genre has been twisted in every possible direction, it’s inevitable that filmmakers seek refuge in experiments. If the “World War I movie” […]
Karthik Dial Seydha Yenn: Gautham Vasudev Menon, STR and Trisha give us a lovely reunion, with a pinch of pain
May 21, 2020
A reflection on the 12-odd minutes spent with the characters that continue to haunt us, even after ten years. Many spoilers ahead, so make sure you see the film first. Spoilers ahead… How interesting that Trisha’s two most memorable films — and her two most memorable performances — have been stories about unrequited love. There […]
Posted in: Cinema: Tamil, Short Films
Readers Write In #185: The gloriously overlooked character arc of Arjun Reddy
May 20, 2020
(by Pragnya N) While the debate is still out on whether Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Arjun Reddy glorifies toxic masculinity, toxic relationships, alcohol and drug abuse, and also sexism, a zoom-out on Arjun Reddy as a character study, shows that the film isn’t sermonizing on how a man should be modelled. Instead, it speaks about the […]
Posted in: Cinema: Telugu, Readers Write In
May 28, 2020
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