A Review of an Indian Movie:

36, Chowringee Lane

...... so we'll live, And pray, and sing, and tell old tales, and laugh At gilded butterflies, and hear poor rogues Talk of court news; and we’ll talk with them too. Who loses and who wins; who’s in, who’s out; And take upon the mystery of things . . . [ King Lear ]

Introduction

As an independent form of art a movie acquires a distinct status and it contains a language of its own. A movie is not necessarily in need of a plinth of a story, a story with some sharp and smart dramatic turns. A movie's worth is built up on the artisitically proportionate chemistry of a good number of forms of art that a few artist can create and we are fortunate that Aparna Sen has establish this in her debut film named "36, Chowringhee Lane" (1981 version ) though she has inserted the theme of devaluation of values in the post-English rule, a theme that has been favored by her predecessor film-makers of Bengal. Still one should add that she had added to it a very delicate fragrance what we find in the wonderful presentation of elegant indifference of one elderly person receiving wounds of negligence despite a loving soul she has in her possession.

Birth of the film

'It started as a short story, and then it just kept growing', thus said Aparna Sen. She said that it was 'a small human tale'. Satyajit Ray, the master film-maker, wanted it to be developed as a very good film. Finally one day Shashi Kapoor and Jennifer Kendel and Govind Nihalani were charged with the synopsis of the idea and Shashi Kapoor volunteered to accept the responsibility of its Producer.

Storyline

There is very little element in the story. A very simple tale of a school-teacher, an old Anglo-Indian, Violet Stoneham by name. This film presents her lonely life and incidental contact with Nandita and Nandita's lover Samaresh. The old teacher invites them in her one bed-room house which allures the two young persons who has so long been discovering shades of taxi and different public places to share emotions.. Samaresh, claimed as a growing author, finds a lone place to write his novel as Violet Stoneham allows them to use her home when she will be in her school. The Lonely woman this way seems to feel fresh air and the three have been shown as happy friends visiting shops and sipping gins and relaxing in the house of miss Stoneham. Samaresh and Nandita utilize the shelter as a resort to make love wildly and one day they marry. The film ends when the old woman returns from the dwelling of Samaresh and Nandita with the X-mas cake that she has baked for them as they have taken lie as a means not to allow her to be present in one of their occasions of joy.

Really a film of unusual content

This is a film of the lonliness of a woman who has been made lone in many ways. She does not leave India even after the exit of the Empire. She is indeed lone after the marriage of Rosemary, her niece. She recollects the past and her brother Eddie meets her once in a week. She is demoted to the position of a grammar teacher from that of one who had once taught Shakespeare and in her working place she is not warmly accepted. Her is a slow life, monotonous and with a cat as her pet she does live. Is she really lonely? Not exactly. Her pastries and prawns and brandy and letters to Rosemerry tell some more things. She has loved her environment from the core of her heart.This makes her joyful when she is close even to a vegetables-seller. A very simple soul she is. And this is why we are touched when Nandita and Samaresh show her what ingratitude does mean.They have ignored her and managed to forget what services they have had from this woman a few days ago. Samaresh has liked her old record-player and she, simply out of affection, presented him that one. And it is her great grace that she has anyway learned to face the odds boldly and calmly.

Performance of the artists is really great. Jennifer Kendel (Miss Violet Stoneham) is simply unbelievable. She takes the camera from the back or from the front as if she does not feel doing anything save what Violet Stoneham does. She walks slowly and when she is within the frame and even when she is away from the frame surprisingly she leaves enough space for us so that we too move with her, yes, silently as she does, and so that we too share the suppressed agony of her. Her looks and her small smiles, her face bewildered now and now gradually preparing to accept the injury and humiliation, her little gestures and indifference which has been forced upon her -- these all and many more intrigue us and occupy us with that rare touch what the great artists call magic. Dhritiman Chatterjee (Samaresh) is a very brilliant actor and he has determined never to loose his natural sense of proportion when the doll-faced Debashree Roy(Nandita) reflects faithfully a representative of the well-to-do Calcutta family.

Screenplay of the film deserves great ovation. It has been neatly prepared, smooth and smart and free from extra starch carefully and it has helped the actors and the actresses immensely.Music has been found not to be such innovative. Still the consideration of the use of the Western instruments only is noticeable and praiseworthy. Camera is excellent and it has played an almost deterministic role and the language of the film it has splendidly developed. Editing of this film is also exceptional as it has been successful in blending the different media of art with such seriousness that every shot and all the shots together have become meaningful. On Direction it must be remembered that it is a Director's Movie. Aparna Sen's debut film has become a new feather in her crown and she has left her mark of confidence and talent in every details of the film. This film declares that a director of genius has stepped into the filmdom of the world. The dreamscene and the scene when Jeneffer shares her lovingly baked X-mass cake slowly leading to reculcate Shakespeare will last in our sweet memory to tell sad tales of life and living.

Sen's use of a cat ( Sir Toby ) takes us to Shakespeare again. This cat is a black one and is like an omen and always to disturb the environment as if, as if this cat is present there to remind us that all is not well beneath the sun.

Running Time

Two Hours

Cast

Jennifer Kendal ... Miss Violet Stoneham

Dhritiman Chatterjee ... Samaresh Moitra

Debashree Roy ... Nandita Roy

Geoffrey Kendal ... Eddie Stoneham

Soni Razdan ... Rosemary Stoneham

Sanjana Kapoor ... Young Violet (as Sanjna Kapoor)

Karan Kapoor ... Davie

Ruma Guha Thakurta ... Nandita's Mother

Munmun Kapoor ... Bijoya Dina Ardeshir ...

and others. 

.Crew

Music Vanraj Bhatia

Cinematography Ashok Mehta

Bhanudas Divakar Editor

Bansi Chandragupta Art Direction

Shashi Kapoor Producer

The film has been written and directed by Aparna Sen.

Awards

1982 Cinemanila International Film Festival (Philippines):

Golden Eagle - Best Feature Film

1982 National Film Awards (India)

Golden Lotus Award - Best Director

Silver Lotus Award - Best Cinematography - Ashok Mehta

Silver Lotus Award - Best Regional Film 1983 BAFTA Awards (UK)

Best Actress - Jennifer Kendal

1983 Evening Standard British Film Awards (UK)

Best Actress - Jennifer Kendal

 

 

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A Review of Zanjeer, a Super hit Hindi Movie

Introduction :

I have been questioned by myself before putting my fingers on the key board and I have been questioned what has prompted me to take the task of reviewing this block-bluster film of Bollywood which had pulled innumerable spectators days after days. Let me submit the answer first.

Amitabh Bachchan presently at the twilight of his film career still gliding high above with ever-enviable luminous wings has pleaded me to look back what actually he had done in Prakash Mehra's Zanjeer in the early seventies of the last century. And Jaya Bachchan (Jaya Bhaduri then) whom I have marked like a devotee for her significance appearance in Sholay is also a cast in this film. It is a thing of wonder to me and I actually want to know the sociological chemistry behind the yield by the combined efforts of Amzad Khan and Sanjeeb Kumar and Amitabh and Jaya and the director Prakash Mehra. I am sure in the early seventies of the last century the Bollywood did not have the technological brilliance that it has now-a-days although the traditional riches of the film songs blessed with the talented musicians and singers have there been prepared.

Story line in brief :

It is a simple tale and still not a simple one. It is the tale of an innocent kid who had experienced the brutal murder of his parents at the start of his life. And this child is not a modern edition of Hamlet who did know who his father's murderer was. It was a boy, not matured in age or by anything of the sort, who had no funny dream when he used to sleep at night. He would almost visualize the murderer and still would fail to recognize him in his routine nightmares. He did grow up one day and a responsible cop he became. While in the uniforms and while treating with the criminals or miscreants he had reason and he used to disobey his temperament. A very good man was in him and that had helped him to befriend Pran who was a hardcore criminal and thus he had succeeded in changing this man of the underworld into a normal and fine person and a good friend of his own. And to the close of heart-beating suspense and breathe-holding actions the criminal was finally detected. Meanwhile the story line has a meandering around Jaya Bhaduri.

Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bhaduri

This was a time when Bollywood was tired of the old things and was badly in need of a change and in need of something to capture the imagination of the spectators. And as if to free the Bollywood world from the fetters of the old ones emergence of one great artist was the demand of the circumstances. And Amitabh Bachchan appeared as an angry young man and instantly won the heart of the millions.

Jaya has a pious homely face and some silent innocence in her acting like the concealed breathe- taking of the persecuted humanity around us and obviously among our women that has made her an icon to mean for reverence and esteem and we stare at her awfully from a distance.

Ajit as a typical villain of the old films has all the qualities to terrify us and Pran too appears to be very much a known person whom we have witnessed in early films and we have been prepared for that.

But we were really not prepared for Amitabh the Angry Young Man.

Sociological Elements Behind

Will you please remember once the global turbulence of the seventies of the last century ? Black people of America was in the streets under the leadership of Martin Luther King for the human rights of the black and despite the movement remained peaceful Martin Luther King was brutally killed. People of America in total occupied the streets pressuring the government to withdraw from Vietnam and to stop war against Vietnam. The students of Europe, specially of France and Germany occupied the varsities and in our own country the Naxalites ( a communist outfit ), in the name of an agrarian revolution, had started an armed struggle against the landlords. People had dissatisfaction in every sphere of life and it was assumed that the justice would remain inactive and impotent. The angry young man, that is Amitabh Bachchan in the Hindi film, had represented the angry and unheard roaring of the peace-loving and law-abiding people of India at his historical epoch..

Conclusion :

I do not want to penetrate into other sides of the film, I mean, its costumes, editing, music etc in this write up. Only thing I should mention that people still remember the song "yaari ha eman mera yaar mera zindagi" and it was a descent one.

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A Review of SHOLAY, the most popular Indian movie till 1975

Introduction

The 1975 Bollywood block-buster Sholay, a Hindi film of nearly three hours runtime, had surprised everyone by its non-stop presence of 286 weeks in the Minerva, a Mumbai theater. Emotions magnified in a high drama and colorful blending of violence, vengeance, love, romance, sweet and sad music, comic relief and final victory of the good over bad have been instrumental to its unbelievable popularity. Sholay is an unusual Indian film. Its genre reminds us Sergei Leonne's 'Spaghetti Westerns'. The rugged and barren landscape of Ramanagaram near Bangalore (Karnataka state of southern India), unpredictable terror of a bandit, determined fight of a former police officer, villagers of some dreamland-like region and the newfound technological brilliance in cinematography by the early seventies of the last century have contributed in unequal proportion to build up the chemistry of success.

Storyline

Thakur Baldev Singh (Sanjeev Kumar) finds assistance and services of two jailbirds for (Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan) an operation against a formidable bandit Gabbar Singh (Amjad Khan) who has a habit of plundering in the remote villages. The jailbirds finally defeat the bandit and the cops takes him to custody. The story has interesting meanderings at different times. In the utterly terrorized territory of a human settlement love larks and Basanti (Hema Malini), a garrulous village girl is tagged to Dharmandra when Radha (Joya Bhaduri), a lone widow in the Thakur Baldev Singh''s family receives the appeal of love from Amitabh Bachchan. The story ends once and before the curtain is drawn the sacrifice of life by Amitabh Bachchan leaves a lasting mark in the mind of the viewers.

Thoughts Evolved

Family relation and its traditional bindings are things that the Indian people consider important still today. Sholay has been shifted from this familiar spectrum and in this film the relations are such loose as one may opt to disbelieve. Again, the brutality delineated in the celluloid is by any measure beyond the reach of the people of India. Still they have enjoyed the film. This is really astonishing as the bandit Gabbar Singh has become a popular figure and his dialogues in the film are inculcated by number of cinema-goers. If this is an achievement of the film-maker the sociologists should study how the peace-loving and generally non-violent people of India have been experiencing any change within them.

Cast

Dharmendra Veeru Sanjeev Kumar Thakur Baldev Singh Hema Malini Basanti Amitabh Bachchan Jai (Jaidev) Jaya Bhaduri Radha Amjad Khan Gabbar Singh A.K. Hangal Imaam Saheb

Producer G.P. Sippy Music Rahul Dev Burman Cinematography Dwarka Divecha Film Editing M.S. Shinde Production Design Ram Yedekar Art Direction Ram Yedekar

Awards

Filmfare Award M. S. Shinde won for Best editing At the 50th Filmfare Awards The Best Film of 50 Years BBC India and internet polls in 1999. "Film of the Millennium"

Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards

Best Actor in Supporting Role - Amjad Khan Best Cinematographer (Colour)- Dwarka Divecha Best Art Director - Ram Yadekar

SONGS AND MUSIC

Yeh Dosti Hum NahinTodenge (Happy) Kishore Kumar, Manna Dey Yeh Dosti Hum Nahin Todenge (Sad) Kishore Kumar Jab Tak Hain Jaan Lata Mangeshkar Mehbooba Mehbooba RD Burman Ek Hasina Jab rooth Jaati Hai Kishore Kumar Holi ke Din Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar

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