Rang Rasiya—Ketan Mehta’s Masterstroke

In Rang Rasiya, Ketan Mehta paints a beautiful picture that’s truly master class. He weaves a telling story around Raja Ravi Varma’s colourful and eventful life, giving us deep insights into his mind.

Rang Rasiya is the story of an artist and his muse; his feelings, his passion, his angst, his artistic freedom or the lack of it and his constant tussle with the so called guardians of morality in society. There are layers and layers that need to be unraveled in order to delve into the depths of an artist’s mind, especially someone like Ravi Varma. However, the movie is so beautifully crafted and the narration so articulate that it captures the essence of what Raja Ravi Varma was all about in simple and magical strokes. It’s colourful, yet simple. It’s passionate, yet poignant.

Randeep Hooda’s performance as Raja Ravi Varma is brilliant. Nandana Sen as his muse Sugandha does a great job too. The dialogues pack the right punch without being melodramatic. There are certain scenes in the film that could have easily been made to appear crass or vulgar, but in the deft hands of Ketan Mehta and some brilliant cinematography, these turn out to be fleeting moments of passion and artistry, weaving its own magic on an empty canvas.

Go watch this one. You will definitely walk back home in admiration.  Watch this one only on the big screen. The movie’s running in packed halls in select theatres. At PVR, Kormangala, where I watched, nobody stirred till the Interval sign cam up on screen! Engrossed as we were…

 Poornima BV

Ram Leela review

Ram Leela

Sanjay Leela Bansali’s much-awaited film ‘Ram Leela’ did not turn out to be the masterpiece that a die-hard romantic like me wanted it to be. The subtlety of love, it’s elusive nature and all the pain and joy that goes with it was truly lost in the din and pompous display of costumes and gun battles. What could truly have been a masterpiece was reduced to a road-Romeo kind of story with vulgar display of dance and music that neither pulled at your heart strings, nor evoked any sympathy for the main characters. I do love raunchy numbers and typical Bollywoiod films; but this epic love story did not deserve this treatment.

Although Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh have put up a great show, the melodramatic nature of the plot and the accompanying noise and drama took a lot away from the essence of this love story. The sizzling hot chemistry between Deepika and Ranveer is being much talked about; however, it was for me, too hot to handle. A more subtle romance would have made this a treat to watch.  Instead, the in-your-face dialogues and the physicality of their love and vulgar dialogues made it more a sex story than a love story. It wasn’t love at first sight at all. It seemed more like lust at first sight. I was truly disappointed by the mindless melodrama and vulgar moves and dance numbers that so took away from the great epic love story that this film could have been.  Not a typical Sanja Leela Bansali film. To be fair, I would say almost all the actors in the film have put up a great show, despite the contrived nature of the plot. Supriya Pathak is outstanding. But for these great actors, this movie would have fallen flat. 

I do love music, extravagant sets and the spectacular settings that a Sanjay Leela Bansali film always offers. But if it’s not matched by a consistent story-line and convincing dialogues, it appears contrived. Eventually, what did the film prove? That two people, who were so deeply in lust, had to lose their lives to keep two clans at peace? A wrong message for the younger generation-that lust is love and that you have no hope when two warring clans are involved. Especially in the times that we live in – honour-killings and all. If this is what’s lapped up by the masses, I would say, bring it on.

Poornima BV

Dev Anand

Dev Anand: Listening to the radio "Dev Anand" on Dhingana!

The Wall Stands Tall

The Wall Stands Tall

I have always admired Rahul Dravid and it pained me when the media went ballistic about his “defensive batting” or that it was time for him to retire. I think Brett Lee put it best when he tweeted: “If u can't get along with Dravid, u're struggling in life "
Amitabh Bachchan had a point too when he wrote: “Rahul Dravid retires from test cricket….a true gentleman, selfless, affable and most reliable..he deserved greater glorification”.
If ever there’s anyone who deserves greater glorification, it must be Rahul Dravid. I only wish people had praised him as much when he was still playing the game. The media, especially, has always been biased. The media only recognizes the superficial, the flamboyant, and the flashy lot. Hard work, dogged determination and consistency don’t figure in their scheme of things. Ethics, moral values and intelligence are virtues they don’t care much about. A modest, quiet, dignified and unassuming boy, Rahul has always got a raw deal compared to a lot of other cricketers. I wish him all the best and am keen to see where this cerebral cricketer’s career takes him after retirement. Haven’t given up hopes of writing a book on him! He’s a true role model to everyone, especially the younger generation. He brought dignity to the game no matter what games people or the media played around him.
The events of the past few days have made me wonder why we go gaga over someone only when he or she retires or passes away. Can’t we keep encouraging people when they are still alive and still in the game? Or are we gracious about these things only when we see them fall? Is this a disease that plagues all of humanity? Imagine the effect ‘a word of praise’ can have on a struggling cricketer, a struggling actor or even a student who’s struggling. I know how tough it is when a person’s going through a bad patch in his life with regard to career or whatever else. And yet, it’s at these times that most treat you badly. But some, like Rahul Dravid do prove these people wrong. It’s this strength of character that I most admire in people. No wonder Rahul said I thought the media was setting me up when they started calling me “The Wall”. So they could sooner or later say “The Wall has crumbled.”
The Wall hasn’t crumbled. It stands tall…
Poornima BV

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Phonography

Phonography! I’m addicted to it! The pen maybe mightier than the sword, but it’s pictures that speak a thousand words. Talk time? Who’s worried about talk time when a picture can do the trick? I’m always fascinated by the rich spectrum of colours, images and moments that can be captured on my cell phone. Armed with my mobile there’s hardly any moment when I’m immobile. People, places and exotic locales; you’ll find all this and more on my screen.

I jump out of the car on deserted highways to capture the green pastures around paddy fields, hillocks, hutments and country roads to come back home and wonder at those amazing places, far from the madding crowds. I don’t miss the opportunity to capture the myriad hues on the sky formed by the various shapes of moving clouds.

When it comes to instant images and capturing rare expressions, it’s my mobile that always stands me in good stead. I have a thousand rare moments captured for eternity. Whether it’s my little niece and her little tricks or my smart adolescent son and his passion for sports—all those wonderful moments are captured on my camera. A single click and the pictures find their way to facebook, gmail and what have you. Instantaneous. The response from those who see these pictures is instantaneous too. Why write long letters and talk incessantly, when at the click of a button, I have that magic moment on my screen! And the pictures travel the world over, thanks to the Internet.

With such rare moments captured on my mobile, is it any surprise that I get prizes in various contests when I upload a picture or two. It’s hardly surprising then that I’m addicted to phonography. Why shouldn’t I, when I stand to gain so much and enjoy every moment of it too!

Poornima BV
poornibv@gmail.com
highfundathoughts.blogspot.com/

Subtle, poetic, divine!

Subtle, poetic, divine

The essence of Delhi6 is that we Indians are a beautiful people, if only the black monkey in all of us – a metaphor for all that’s evil in our society - caste system, discrimination, corruption, religious fundamentalism, greed, hypocrisy and superstition can be destroyed, overcome and done away with. It gives us a glimpse of all that’s beautiful in our society and all that’s evil too, as seen through the eyes of Abhishek Bacchhan, an NRI son who comes to India for his grand mom’s sake. The director has captured the essence of what we are, in a very unhurried, subtle, sensitive way- it’s almost like poetry. AR Rehman’s music is so well blended with the story itself that it makes everything so magical. Perhaps the audience is so used to those in-the-face item numbers, melodramatic scenes and an onslaught of action, that this sensitive portrayal of India and Indians was lost on them. Or at the cost of sounding cynical, maybe the truth was too hard to digest – the callous police cop, the caste discrimination, the way we kill the aspirations of young girls, the male chauvinistic society that we are – maybe it was a bit too hard to face. I simply loved the film. It seemed to me like poetry in an old Delhi setting, just as Billu was poetry in a rural setting. Hats off to these directors for their brilliant work. They made each frame in the film picture perfect with their artistic mastery, driving home a message too with divine subtlety. My 11-year-old son called the movie thought provoking-that I think is the best compliment a director can get.

Poornima BV

Think about this

When you separate yourself from the rest of mankind by separating yourself by belief, by nationality, tradition, it breeds violence. So a man who is seeking to understand violence does not belong to any country, religion, political party or system; he is concerned with the total understanding of mankind

Jiddu Krishnamurti