The 11th Osian Cine Fan

The 11th Osian’s Cine Fan film festival kick-started with the gala opening of the Romanian movie ‘Hooked’ on 24th October and ended on 30th October with ‘Waltz with Bashir’. Did I miss anything? Oh, yes! In between was a whole new world of the best of Asian and Arab cinema, a highly enriching experience for all us cinema lovers. Osian’s Cine Fan included movie from Asia and Arab, some for competition and some for screening. Either way, the quality of cinema was beyond anything I have seen!

This year, Osian gave special emphasis to Indian cinema, with the screening of films like Aamir, Kaminey, Luck By Chance, among others. All the same, world cinema registered its presence with elegance. The variety of films gave everyone the choice to watch experimental movie and go through a different experience each time. Apart from the movie screenings (which were wonderful), there was lots going on. The screenings were held in the Siri Fort Complex and at Alliance Francaise. This year, there was an auction of Indian and Asian antiquities and modern art, organised by Osian’s Centre for Archiving Research and Development. There was an exhibition on the History of Indian Cinema which was awe-inspiring, to say the least. Different sections were devoted to the legends of Indian Cinema, like Dev Anand, Raj Kapoor, Guru Dutt, V.Shantaram, Bimal Roy, Mehboob Khan and so many others who carried on the legacy of Indian Cinema. The exhibition included classic stills of movies of these directors and the actors and actresses, and also the hand-painted posters of that time. There were booklets containing synopsis of movies, with the song lyrics in both Hindi and English. A section was devoted to Satyajit Ray and Bengali cinema, while another showcased different adaptations of Devdas- right from P.C.Borua’s 1935 version to Anurag Kashyap’s latest. There was section on the cinematic history of the silent era and also a section on the chemistry of hearts!

The NewStream section showcased films that have redefined mainstream Indian cinema last year; and their film makers and others associated with the film interacted with the audience via Q&A sessions, lectures, exhaustive panel discussion, etc. Noted lyricist Gulzar was honoured the Lifetime Achievement award. As for the competition, ‘The Long Night’ (Syria) won the Osian’s Cine Fan award as well as the NETPAC-FIPRESCI award (Network for The Promotion of Asian Cinema Federation of International Film Critics). ‘Khargosh’ (India) won the Special Jury award at both Cine Fan and NETPAC-FIPRESCI, as well as the Audience award. ‘The First Film’(Iran), won the award for Best Film in the Shorts competition, where ‘Vithal’(India) got a special mention. Mr.P.N.Srivastava, an avid cinema enthusiast, who comes all the way from Lucknow, especially for Osian, wisely comments, “This festival of Asian and Arab films is not reaching the audience it deserves. Media focuses more on European cinema which has got the tag of ‘world’ cinema. Asian cinema deals with a much better movie concept. These movies have a cinematic language that transcends all borders. People should know the kind of cinema Asia has to offer, especially Iran and China. These films make us sit back and think. They don’t need any special effects to make an impact. For me, this is real world cinema.”

The Great Indian Rock 2009

The long awaited Great Indian Rock festival took place at Hamsadhwani amphitheatre in Pragati Maidan on 24th and 25th October, presented by the Rock Street Journal.Popularily known as GIR, it is one of the most sought after music events, and it sure lived up to the hype. A vast array of bands played various genres of rock, including some international bands that were, quite obviously, the headlining bands. It was a treat to all rock music lovers.

The bands included Rabbit is Rich, Undying Inc, Circus, Another Vertigo Rush, Boomerang, Scribe, Bhayanak Maut, Indigo Children and many others, and of course, the international bands- Intronaut (U.S.A.), Benea Reach (Norway) and Solstate (New Zealand), with the latter two performing on Day 1 and Intronaut headlining the second day. According to Ryan Hazarika, a hard-rock addict, “The first day was mild in comparison to the second day. Only the international bands and Undying Inc were good. Circus lived up to its name, as it was more of a circus than a rock act. Clearly, the second day was the clincher.” Bands like Another Vertigo Rush, Boomerang and Scribe engaged the audience and were well appreciated, though Boomerang did not have much of an audience, being the first ones to perform. Bhayanak Maut, despite their “bhayanak” name, got everybody’s attention right away. The atmosphere created by them was dampened by Indigo Children as they lacked the zing, strange as it was, considering they were winners of the 2007 edition of Channel [V] Launch Pad. US based Intronaut were the real deal. They hypnotized the crowd with their classical rock act. Their drummer was brilliant and the gig was truly ‘international’. Priyanka Adhikary, who was there for the entire duration, said, “Had a blast! My neck went stiff with constant head-banging. Bhayanak Maut was killer.” A few girls got hurt in the mosh pits but all in all, the crowd was amazing- apt for a ‘ROCK’ show.

The slight nip in the air was set against the heat generated by the bands. Their energy levels were reciprocated with the crowd’s enthusiasm. The event was well organised, it started and ended on time, without much trouble. This surely was one helluva ‘rockin’ event!

‘Booked’ For A Movie?

What’s common between ‘The Namesake’; ‘A Mighty Heart’, and ‘Slumdog Millionaire’? Well, they are brilliant movies, they star the talented Irrfan Khan, and they are remarkable cinematic adaptations of different novels. What started as an experiment has gradually evolved into a trend over the years. Almost every other movie is an adaptation of a popular novel, especially in Hollywood. Bollywood is a bit different. Mostly, they copy straight away (sorry, ‘adapt’) from regional cinema!

The joy of reading is something beyond comparison. You start living the characters, and relate to their circumstances. You read books at your own leisure. Movies, on the other hand, are grander and altogether more colourful. What you read over a few days, you can watch in 2-3 hours. The emotions get clearer, you connect strongly with the character (depends LARGELY on the acting). In a way, cinematic adaptations of books are a good way to popularize the novel. There have been many wonderful adaptations. ‘The Godfather’, ‘Gone With The Wind’, ‘Devdas’, ‘The Kite Runner’, ‘The Guide’, ‘Narnia’ series, ‘Lord Of The Ring’ series, ‘P.S. I Love You’, ‘The Devil Wears Prada’, and off course ‘The Harry Potter’ series…the list is endless but these are some successful examples. Who can forget the eight Oscar winning ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, an adaptation of Vikas Swarup’s ‘Q&A’ (why on earth did he rename his book ‘Slumdog Millonaire’ after the movie released? Individuality, originality are lesser known virtues, eh?) Another excellent movie, though less popular, is ‘Pinjar’, an on-screen adaptation of Amrita Pritam’s novel by the same name. Shakespeare is an all-time favourite; his plays have been adapted in different languages all over the world. Closer home, best-selling author Chetan Bhagat’s novels are perfect movie material, with two movies already released based on his novels- ‘One Night At The Call Centre’(‘Hello’: bad, period); another based on his debut novel ‘Five Point Someone’ proving to be a blockbuster hit( ‘3 Idiots’:infamous for the writer-director controversy, but entertaining all the same); with the other two books also in the making.

We talk about books losing their charm, with nobody taking pains to take out time to read and preferring the shortcut by watching movies instead; but we forget where this shortcut takes base from. If you look at it that way, cinematic adaptations are actually a way of paying tribute to novels. Movies provide a larger platform to books. Once you watch a movie on the big screen, you will most definitely want to read it in print, though it is a silly idea to keep away a book and wait for the movie based on it. You get a different feeling when you watch a movie and when you read a book, and it’s best to savour both the feelings separately and not be judgemental.

my movie review on ‘The Kite Runner’

‘The Kite Runner’ is a cinematic adaptation of the best-selling novel of the same name by Khaled Hosseini , directed by Marc Foster. The story is based in Afghanistan, beginning from the Pre-Soviet invasion and progressing along the Post-Soviet with the Taliban at the helm of affairs. Amir (Zekeria Ebrahimi) is a young boy whose father is a wealthy merchant. His only friend is the son of his servant, Hasan (Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada) who belongs to the long-downtrodden Hazara community.Their friendship is strengthened because of Hasan’s unquestioning devotion and genuine love for Amir; which Amir fails to return when he does not stand up for him in a shocking act of violence, the ghosts of which continue to haunt him when he shifts base to America. A phone call from his father-like figure Rahim Khan (Shaun Toub) makes him go back to his roots and face some bitter truths, the repurcussions of which mark his further journey as he tries to make the most of the second chance that life gives him to redeem himself based on Rahim Khan’s advice which also echoes the central theme of the movie-“There is a way to be good again”.

The movie tugs directly at your heart-strings and almost shocks you with its unashamed honesty. The direction by Marc Foster is amazing and stands out especially for his research and handling though you wish the emotional scenes were a bit more taut , more so in the second half. The screenplay by David Benioff does justice to Khaled Hosseini’s novel, with no significant changes. The setting and the market scenes are so realistic that they make you flinch. It tend to lose its threat a little toward the climax when it gets a little too high on the drama quotient but the overall impact is so powerful that it leaves you overwhelmed with varying emotions. It does not disappoint you on the acting front either. Khalid Abdalla as the adult Amir is good for his part and Homayoun Ershadi as Baba as well as Shaun Toub as Rahim Khan are outstanding but the real gems are Zekeria Ebrahimi and Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada who play the part of young Amir and Hasan respectively. They completely floor you with their charm and innocent but excellent portrayal of their parts. The equilibrium between drama and reality is very steadfast.

‘The Kite Runner’ is multi-layered and serious but is highly engrossing all the same. Some stellar performances, armed with a strong script retaining the essence of Hosseini’s novel catapult this movie into the league of path-breaking cinema. You may have heard this line for several movies before but I have never seen apply itself more truly-only the hardest of hearts would fail to be moved.

My rating – 4.5/5

my first ever review for the college paper- ‘Keep Off The Grass’ by Karan Bajaj

Karan Bajaj’s introspective debut novel ‘Keep Off The Grass’ is a witty and intriguing account of an unplanned quest for identity and the frivolous vanity of human hopes. The protagonist, Samrat Ratan, is a Yale valedictorian and a hot-shot Wall Street investment banker, born to immigrant Indian parents, earning half a-million dollars a year. A contented and comfortable life would ensue, right? Well, a slight twist in the tale. Samrat quits his job and ends up at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore, instead. What follows is a mad flurry of his wild escapades which include ‘visiting’ Rajasthan, Dharmsala, Benaras and…..jail! Through his sojourn, he wonders at his metamorphoses from a leader to a follower. He is always going through an internal conflict which marks his actions. He tries to escape from one place to another but one thing that keeps following him is the smell of ‘grass’. He ends up getting stoned at the weirdest of places, giving company to banjaras and sitting at the banks of Ganga with a cannibal.

The novel earns brownie points for its sheer spontaneity as also for the no holds-barred honest insights of the writer. His ability to take the reader completely off-guard to deliver the punches coupled with his wicked sense of humour gives more merit to his writing style. Karan Bajaj is certainly a name to watch out for! His use of language is impressive and his story narration is engaging enough for the reader to keep returning back to it. The novel is highly entertaining and mostly engrossing except for a few parts where you wish Bajaj had not tried to round them up so abruptly as it breaks the continuity. However, his clever portrayal of the rapidity of events maintains the equilibrium.

The very fact that in less than a year into its publication Karan Bajaj’s debut novel made its way to the semi-finals of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award speaks volumes for his literary skills. ‘Keep off The Grass’ is hilarious, has style and is recommended for its originality which enhances the enigma of the novel.