ওয়াশিংটন বাংলা রেডিও Washington Bangla Radio USA

Kolkata March, 3, 2012 (Washington Bangla Radio / Penning Creations) Rom-coms seem to be the flavor of the season for our ‘beloved’ Bollywood industry, which is on a mission to blend love in our veins and outset emotions in our filmy hearts (pun intended!).  With back to back romantic flicks, the Hindi film industry is on a ride to cupid’s domicile.  Unable to get over with the idea of ‘Eternal Romance’,  Bollywood has been churning out with loads of romantic flicks like ‘DDLJ’ and  ‘K3G’ over the years, and, with the crossing hour, few successful experiments have been made which has really turned the wheel. But, what actually does the trick is the plot of the movie and how it has been portrayed by its protagonist to make the audiences involve in the characters without any legato, that they prefer not leave their seats even when their pancreas is calling for an emergency break!. It all hinges on the lead pair and their romantic endeavor which enables you to focus on the movie than on popcorn or your fellow side seater (which is the only compensation for a boring on screen act). Rest assured, Anu Menon’s directional debut ‘London Paris New York’ is be more appealing than your enticing pop corn bucket.

Kolkata March, 3, 2012 (Washington Bangla Radio / Penning Creations) It is often seen that the extent to which a film is hyped up and promoted has very little bearing (apart from the opening weekend business!) on its ultimate fate at the box-office. Indeed, in 2011, so-called ‘small’ films like ‘Shaitan’ and ‘Mod’ featured among the most critically acclaimed movies of the year. That, of course, does not take anything away from the value of marketing a film well, since that would, at least, generate a degree of curiosity and buzz among the audience regarding the movie (which is always good news!). Director Aditya Dutt, who had earlier made such immensely forgettable flicks like ‘Aashiq Banaya Aapne’, ‘Dil Diya Hai’ and ‘Good Luck’ (sic.!), makes a comeback of sorts with his new film ‘Will You Marry Me?’ Unlike Dutt’s earlier films, the promotional campaign of ‘Will You Marry Me?’ was a relatively small-scale affair. Will the movie be able to prove yet again that, in Bollywood, ‘small’ can indeed be ‘big’, and help Aditya Dutt break his box-office jinx? Apparently not, since the film is pretty ordinary!

‘Will You Marry Me?’ revolves around the lives and friendship of three buddies, ‘Aarav’ (Shreyas Talpade), ‘Nikhil’ (Muzamil Ibrahim) and ‘Rajveer’ (Rajeev Khandelwal). The three fun-loving young men are in love with the freedom that their bachelorhood has to offer and have no intentions of tying the knot and settling down in life. As a token of their commitment to remain (happily!) single in life, the three friends decide to create a huge monetary fund in shares. The catch, you ask? Whoever decides to marry among the three would stand to lose his contribution in the share (a pretty generous sum at that!). As if the simple joys of friendship and freedom were not enough, the friends now have a monetary motivation to stay single too!

Kolkata March, 3, 2012 (Washington Bangla Radio / Penning Creations) Tollywood has grown up a lot over the past decade or so. While mainstream commercial flicks have become more glossy and stylized, filmmakers have also started to showcase their versatility and flair by making movies which attempted to address contemporary societal issues with greater regularity. Thus, we had Mainak Bhaumik displaying the intricacies of urbane relationships in ‘Bedroom’, while Suman Ghosh highlighted the lost values and respect for age-old traditions in the present-day society through his (quite fantastic!) ‘Nobel Chor’. Such films have (with different degrees of success, of course!) managed to establish a connection with the general viewers, who have been able to identify themselves with the characters of these movies. Director Sourav Mukhopadhyay (interview) tries to maintain this healthy trend of making films off the beaten track with ‘Zameen’, a movie that portrays the problems and issues related to land and property in the state.

The promotions for the movie were distinctly low key, but, given the topical nature of its central theme, one expected ‘Zameen’ to be an engrossing film indeed. In spite of being made with a limited budget, the film does not disappoint either!

‘Zameen’ starts off with the tale of ‘Shiben’ (Amit Bhattacharya), a common, moderately well-to-do villager, who lives in Palashpur. He has a small, but happy family, comprising of his mother ‘Shovarani’ (Supriya Devi), his wife ‘Basanti’ (Dolon Roy - interview) and his young son ‘Amar’. The only source of income for ‘Shiben’s family is the grocery shop that he runs in the village. An extremely good-natured man, ‘Shiben’ is highly popular in the village and his family is loved by one and all. His is a life of simple pleasures, indulging his beloved son at times and playing little pranks on his wife on other occasions. ‘Shiben’s family is not the wealthiest in the world, but they are content with their earthly possessions. Little ‘Amar’ is a brilliant student and his parents dream of the day when he would bag a lucrative job and become truly successful in life.

Kolkata March, 3, 2012 (Washington Bangla Radio / Penning Creations) Cinema is an art of expression, which if used in the right manner, could leave lasting imprints on the modern day society. Just when we begin to think that it has become an arm that can be twisted and turned to hide realities, we are sorely mistaken. Real and meaningful cinema does exist and its victory comes when it is used in the right manner to portray realities of life. ‘Charulata 2011’, directed by Agnidev Chatterjee (interview), strives to do that exactly and takes up the courage to question issues and institutions that have raised quite a few eyebrows in the past. With strong conviction it can be said that except for a few dragging minutes in the second half, the film represents a rather commendable work of art and therefore deserves accolades.

Infidelity is an issue that has often raked up a closet of dead skeletons as it prominently exists in the Indian society. To examine such a concept in a positive light is indeed challenging for any film maker, which is why the director Agnidev Chatterjee should very well be given a round of applause. ‘Charulata 2011’ is important as it re-introduces the concept of infidelity in mainstream Bengali cinema, with a refined touch.

Kolkata March, 3, 2012 (Washington Bangla Radio/Penning Creations) There have been several directors who have managed to announce their arrival in Bollywood with a bang, with their debut films earning widespread adulation among critics and cinegoers alike. Makers like Karan Johar and Sujay Ghosh had been able to stamp their class and filmmaking expertise via their very first films (‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ and ‘Jhankaar Beats’ respectively). Director Tigmanshu Dhulia, whose debut film, ‘Haasil’, earned considerable appreciation among movie buffs, was also considered to be a member of this category of young and promising moviemakers. Dhulia, however, could not quite keep up the good work at the box-office, with his next couple of films (‘Charas’, ‘Shagird’) turning out to be relative duds. To his credit, the director made a fine return to form last year with the brilliantly made ‘Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster’. With his latest film, ‘Paan Singh Tomar’, Dhulia looks to strengthen his footing as one of the top directors in the Hindi film industry. With the movie already making waves in the international circuits (it premiered at the British Film Institute London Film Festival), one expected ‘Paan Singh Tomar’ to be a really fine and engrossing film. The movie is a thoroughly entertaining fare too!