Check out new additions to the list :


Gaurav
George
Sarika
Vineet
Vinod G
Samrat
Harish

Cheers,

Shwaas Vs ?

One amazing thing on the second last day of PIFF was that 3 major contenders for the Academy Award for the best Foreign Film were being shown on the same day. Afghanistan's Earth and Ashes, South Africa's Yesterday and India's Shwaas. Albeit these three are yet to be shortlisted, trusting PIFF organizers I have come to believe that these films are hot favourites to make the cut. So what chances does homegrown talent have against these prospective competitors?

Earth and Ashes -

A from the heart tale of a Grandfather and his Grandson travelling to a faraway mine where the Grandson's father works to tell the news of devastation of the whole family in a bombing of their village. Where the film scores, is its simplistic storyline - objective and effective. The screenplay and the cinematography are absolutely amazing. The sweeping desert landscapes, the bombed village, and the appalling haplessness that the Grandfather faces have been wonderfully portrayed. Sub-plots have been woven wonderfully into the main storyline, i.e. the rich merchant from Kabul who helps waysiders, the grandson becoming deaf and his attempts to convince everyone that their voices lay hidden in one of the tanks which lie bombed along the road, the daughter being abused in public, the kid chasing the goat into a landmine where it is reduced to smithereens etc. give the viewer a bone-chilling overview of life during the war. Many people have praised the acting talent of Ashwin Chitale, the child actor in Shwaas. However the grandson in this movie I thought was much better. Ashwin's character is such that he plays himself most of the time in the film. However this kid in Earth and Ashes portrays someone deaf - someone who he is not, with aplomb. The film is technically brilliant, emotionally touching and wonderfully directed and written. The film's end - a pitch-black screen with the Granddad singing (wailing?) for atleast two minutes is absolutely chilling (and brilliant).

Yesterday -

This was the movie that won the best film (The Prabhat Award) at this year's PIFF. This movie tells the tale of a village belle named Yesterday whose husband works in the city. She finds out that she has contracted HIV and on the advice of the doctor tries to warn her husband that he may have it too. She shows the moral power to survive, till her only daughter Beauty is admitted to school. She also lives through her husband's last days and helps to make his end as comfortable as possible. Again the film scores on the same points that the earlier film did. Amazing cinematography and a simple direct story. I thought the film is in some ways a case of old wine in a new bottle - however the brilliance of the filmmaker cannot be overemphasized. Another interesting aspect is the portrayal of South African village life (in Kwazulu-Natal) and a social rhetoric on the state of affairs as regards to scare water supply, electricity, education and medical facilities in rural South Africa. Overall a good cinematic experience however definitely not mind-blowing.

Shwaas -

Much pixels (and indeed newsprint) have been spared dissecting and analyzing Shwaas. So when I saw it again at PIFF I indirectly compared it to the previous two and here are a few observations. Shwaas tries to create the glorious cinematic experience (read cinematography) which the other two films do effortlessly. The village scenes are amazing but the hospital and the city sequences lose the plot as far as visual appeal is considered. Also the film gets caught in the battle between mainstream cinema and art house productions. The 'suspense' is extremely flimsy and the film somehow does not quite match up with the other two. However this does not mean that it does not compare at all with the other two. It has come very close as far as the story, acting, direction is concerned. It loses on the technical front and probably the issue taken up might not appeal to US voters as AIDS and the Afghanistan war might. Anyway all the three films were a treat to watch and I enjoyed my wonderful journey (9 am home -> 9:20 AM INOX -> 11-4 E^2) through these Oscar nominated films.

Indian cinema has some way to go before it can match up to it's wealthier counterpart's, but if a Marathi film can do so much then Hindi cinema should be able to do much better. Till then - Hare Rama Hare Kisna!

My name is Na - Kiss Na

After a long arduous journey we finally reached the promised land(read row f seat 5) at a very convenient 11:30 pm to watch Kisna - Ghai's latest magnum opus. And what I have heard of Jaani Dushman, this movie should give it a run for it's money. Watch out Mithun - Ghai's here.

Overheard: What was the lady(Isha Sharvani) doing on the trees for half the film - Just hanging around.

PS: Watch out for reviews of Page 3, Black Friday - and an overview of PIFF in coming times.

'Iske badle me Woh'

'Delegates' are requested to note the following changes in the film schedules -


'Beautiful by Day' will be shifted from 11 am to 9pm.

'Swimming Pool' will be replaced by 'The Bathtub'

'Fire' will be replaced by 'Water'

'Hungarian Rhapsody' will be replaced by 'Swedish Parody'

'Run Lola Run' will be replaced by 'I Ran'

'Officers' room' will be replaced by 'The Magic Broom'

'The Straight Path' will be replaced by 'Hera Pheri'


'Delegates' are also requested to note cancellation in screening of the film 'Procrastination' due to delays in the arrival of the film, and 'I will survive' due to the tragic passing away of the film's Chinese director Mae Togaya.


We at Purely Insipid Formula Films(PIFF) would like to thank all or delegates for their kind co-operation in making this event a big success. Delegated are also requested to note that next year 'we' will be replaced by WCCBFF
(We Cheated the Censor Board Film Festival). Till then, Chao.

Cheers,
Abhishek

PS: All of the above is inspired from the replacement of Howrah Bridge by China Gate and the notice being place at E^2 while the movie was being screened at NFAI.

PIFF - Scene One Take One

I don't know if the organizers had planned this or whether it accident that King Lear and Ran both featured on the same day within a few hours of each other. Now it was pure chance that i watched the two movies. The original King Lear being a Russian version the main beauty of dialogue was lost, Shakespearen plots being exemplified by their wonderful imagery apart from the compelling storyline. Siddharth suggested that i watch Run, a french-japanese film (directed by Akiro Kurosawa who Nikhil told me was a brilliant director). Anyway i couldn't help notice the similarity it had to King Lear. Later it turns out the film is a Japanese adaptation of the same and King Lear's daughters are replaced by 3 sons. Even a few scenes where they carries the dead bodies of Cordelia and King Lear,the role of the Knave, the scnene where he picks grass in a field among others have been adapted.
However just for the record i thought both the films were pretty boring and to see the same thing twice - My first film VISA USA saved the day.

PS: Why was Ran - a Japanese adaptation, shot in Japan, with Japanese actors in French ?
Cheers,