movie

Awe-Inspiring Cinema From Laika

Laika LogoGoing beyond the realm of the classic animation films by Disney-Pixar, some time ago, I had experimented with a flick about a boy who could communicate with ghosts called ParaNorman and was awe-inspired by its animation technique. Down the road, I watched the fantasy horror flick Coraline which involved an “adventurous girl finding an idealized parallel world behind a secret door in her new home”, and most recently I thoroughly admired the story and the action in The Boxtrolls which is about trash collecting trolls raising a boy. The art behind these movies called ‘3D stop-motion’ is about maintaining balance in the intricate movement of objects while filming each frame. Also referred to as ‘claymation’ since they use plasticine figures which are naturally flexible for sculpting movements. Not surprisingly, they have all been produced by a studio named ‘Laika’ and they have all been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, including their recent offering Kubo and the Two Strings released in 2016.

Stop motion is an animated-film making technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they appear to exhibit independent motion when the series of frames is played back as a fast sequence.

– Wikipedia

Not to mention there are other talented studios who indulge in stop-motion animation, including Aardman Animations (Wallace & Gromit), but the ones that I have recently enjoyed were coincidentally produced by Laika. Props to their creative team and I’d be looking forward to more awe-inspiring stuff from them!

‘Ringan’ Is The Rekindling of A Spiritual Bond

Ringan - Movie PosterAs a fan of regional art cinema, it’s the best time to live right now. Especially more satisfying to realize that the current spate of Marathi cinema continues to enthral audiences by deviating from its commercial attitudes — also possibly the reason why it’s become harder for sensible cinema to find distributors, such as Kaasav, for example, which is disappointing. Nevertheless, it’s precisely this matter-of-fact approach of the scriptwriters, in that, deliberating emotions through personally identifiable characters have created some critically acclaimed and award-winning cinema such as Killa, Fandry, and Deool. In continuing with this trend, Ringan portrays realistic human values in an unvarnished personality, with a poignant tale of a struggling father and an adorable youngster against the backdrop of socio-economic repression in rural Maharashtra.

The title of the movie originates from the Hindu festival of Ashadhi Ekadashi held annually in the city of Pandharpur where a large number of devotees of Lord Vithoba (the ‘warkaris’) congregate to sing and dance making a circular formation that’s commonly referred as a ‘ringan’ in Marathi. It completes a beautiful analogy of this unique celebratory pattern in the film depicting a cyclic order of desolation or dejection, happiness or jubilation in a human’s life span. Which is precisely what a poor and heavily indebted farmer named Arjun Magar (Shashank Shende) has been experiencing in a drought-ridden village in Maharashtra . A widower, and surviving on meagre earnings from his parched land which hasn’t yielded any crops he’s on the verge of surrendering to his fate. But for his dearest son Abhimanyu (Sahil Joshi) and often overlooking his repeated transgressions, it keeps him away from becoming suicidal and to start believing in himself. Frustrated and dejected, he finally decides to dump his tragic past and undertakes a bold journey to Pandharpur braving hunger and fatigue to break free of his misery.

Ringan is a heart-wrenching and a powerful narrative representative of different world views. The perspective of a father facing a bleak future of hardships and later coming to terms with his ultimate destiny, and of a 7-year old in pursuit of discovering nuances in a web of personal relationships as each traverses life-altering situations. Honestly, the simplistic voyage capturing the highs and lows of a father & son’s bonding as they find a new meaning through their emotional & spiritual turmoil, it easily underlines Ringan’s value as one of the greatest cinematic experiences of our times.

The Facts vs Fiction In ‘Steve Jobs’

Steve JobsHaving enjoyed Walter Isaacson’s insightful book ‘Steve Jobs’ ages ago, and after amassing enough confidence, I was left disappointed watching its cinematic version recently. Especially after a feeble attempt was made in the ‘Jobs’ movie wherein Ashton Kutcher helmed the legendary Apple founder’s role my expectations from the official film had peaked. In the book, Isaacson has detailed the vibrant journey of Steve Jobs; personal and professional, and his varied mix of emotion, passion, vision, and an unfettered streak of wisdom which distinguished him from his contemporaries and enabled him to build Apple and NeXT. As a long time devotee of Steve Jobs one thought that the biopic written by Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network) failed to do justice not just to the Isaacson book on which it was purportedly based but to Jobs as well who continues to captivate the industry even today, pathetically reducing his awe-inspiring story into a dramatized narrative.

The movie outlines 3 events which shaped the life and times of Jobs beginning with the launch of Apple’s flagship Macintosh computer in 1984, Steve Jobs’ famed departure from the company after his tumultuous association with CEO John Sculley (Jeff Daniels), and his grand comeback to Apple with the iMac launch. Throughout, the film captures the complex relationship with his estranged daughter Lisa and his colleagues all of which was truthfully captured in the Isaacson book though regrettably, that content has been sensationalized on the big screen. For instance, scenarios such as Steve Wozniak (Seth Rogen) having an argument with Steve Jobs (Michael Fassbender) and Jobs’ badgering of Andy Hertzfeld (Michael Stuhlbarg) 40 minutes prior to the launch of the Mac to fix the voice demo never happened in reality, likewise there is a list of instances where the movie deviates from the book itself. Alas, with a personality such as Steve Jobs, the film could have ended up becoming a splendid saga of triumph & trials, instead, the makers could only manage a burlesque version to keep the audiences entertained.

Tu Hai Mera Sunday

Friends & Football – Tu Hai Mera Sunday

I spent my Saturday afternoon watching ‘Tu Hai Mera Sunday’ which turned out to be a nostalgic ride! Despite Bollywood breathing and thriving in the embrace of ‘Amchi Mumbai’ there are only a handful of films that have captured the ethos and the charm of this metropolis on celluloid, not just with their urbane settings but also by showcasing the common citizens entwined in their everyday wanderings. Where the characters are uncomplicated, not vying for attention or fighting for screen space, yet leaving audiences enthralled with their storyline alone. A few weeks prior I came across such a film, Netflix’s ‘Love Per Square Foot’, and today it was time to catch up with another ‘Made in Mumbai’ movie with ‘Tu Hai Mera Sunday’. Released last year, it was critically acclaimed and well-received, but as usual, it was buried deep within the debris of its box-office performance.

‘Tu Hai Mera Sunday’ revolves around an ensemble cast of 5 fun-loving buddies who reckon Sunday isn’t about getting comfy within their homes. So they routinely engage in a game of football at Juhu Beach, one of Mumbai’s characteristic destinations where locals assemble to escape the drudgery. However, on one such fateful trip, the group is joined by an ‘Appa’ who boots the ball harder to whack on the head of a local dignitary decisively ending their sporting sojourns on the beach. Would it bring an end to their passion? I believe not. Because football defines their urge to chug along, it’s their only chance at redeeming their spirits be it from an unruly boss, abject solitude, a cacophonous family, or mundane life in general. So alongside Appa, the group begins scrambling for a new playground, and from within that emotional journey, they discover their true personalities. I wouldn’t miss this fun-filled outing, even if it’s a Sunday!

Mumbai Delhi Mumbai (2014)

Mumbai Delhi MumbaiI had cherished the Marathi original Mumbai Pune Mumbai (MPM) a tale of two distinct personalities representing major cities of Maharashtra, a reluctant lady from Mumbai visiting a Pune guy whom she hopes to marry. Pune is a short train ride and hence the title of the movie from the Indian Railways’ name panel. Shot entirely in Pune the highlight about MPM was its cast of 2 seasoned actors Mukta Barve and Swapnil Joshi, with Joshi’s flawless enactment of the Puneri accent and his explanation of the steadfast Puneri Baana to a suave metro girl Barve who’s just as proud about her liberal Bombay antecedents as the man could have ever imagined resulting in a mind-blowing account of repartees. Importantly, the simple script through the eyes of the protagonists acquaints you to Pune’s Maharashtrian middle-class culture & sunny locales on a day’s trip. This film checked all my boxes for a good entertaining romantic comedy including its well-deserving sequel Mumbai Pune Mumbai 2. Then, Bollywood got into the mix and engaged the original writer/director Satish Rajwade to make an urbane Hindi adventure which unfortunately lost its way and failed miserably to do justice to the original.

So instead of a train, Pia takes a flight to Delhi and literally lands in an argument with a local upsetting her. From there onwards she becomes cacophonic, that seething rage of displeasure with Dilliwaalahs displayed with incessant shouting & heckling of her helpful partner. The character’s persona is so amateurish that she gets needlessly offended by ‘Goli’ her Delhi mate and vice versa much to my exasperation. But, it was her constant rebuttals & conversations starting with “Boss…Boss” that made me wonder if the swank Pia is indeed the correct personification of the city’s elegant diaspora. To make matters worse, the mellifluous Marathi song of ‘Kadhi Tu’ returned in an uninspiring avatar called ‘Tham Sa Gaya’. Skip this one by all means, but you don’t want to skip the original.

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