Bollywood

Subhash K Jha: New York is an important film

Written by Subhash K Jha on June 28th, 2009

This….ah, this! This is what cinema in contemporary times should be, must be. Though it seldom is. Once again the banner gives us cinema of the most clutter-breaking quality. It isn’t as if New York is the first remarkable film to synthesize terrorism and friendship. Mani Ratnam’s Dil Se comes to mind immediately where the [...]

Subhash K Jha: 99 is an original piece of work.

Written by Subhash K Jha on May 18th, 2009

After two months of aridity at the theatres one is happy to straightaway take the plunge into the never-ending wonders of la-la land, also known as the silver screen. 99 is not quite the big bad blockbuster you’d have liked to see after such a longish period of deprivation. Where you’d want a big burp-inducing [...]

Subhash K Jha: There are no villians in Heaven On Earth

Written by Subhash K Jha on March 28th, 2009

When the first slap comes, it hits us the audience hard across the face. Spousal abuse as a theme is not new to cinema. What sets Deepa Mehta’s Heaven On Earth apart from other films on the theme including, Jagmohan Mundhra’s Provoked, is the fusion of unspoken, unexpressed terror with mythological elements all packed with [...]

Subhash K Jha: Kashyap has proved himself a master

Written by Subhash K Jha on March 20th, 2009

The blossoming of Anurag Kashyap into a formidable storyteller who bends all the rules of filmmaking, acquires a startling new definition with this film about student unrest during times of intense politicizing. Gulaal emblazons itself across the screen as a deft, definitive, brutal and life-defining film on the culture of decadence in typical North India. [...]

Subhash K Jha: Firaaq deserves the highest praise

Written by Subhash K Jha on March 20th, 2009

Nearly flawless, almost pitched perfectly to show the trauma of those who lose limbs, lives, loves and faith in a communal carnage. Nandita Das’s directorial debut leaves you speechless. This is what cinema was always meant be. But somewhere in its chequered course from information to entertainment our movies began to feel like vaudeville entertainment [...]

“My Work In Gandhi My Father Was Far Better Than Slumdog…” – Resul Pookutty

Written by Subhash K Jha on February 22nd, 2009

Resul Pookutty Wins BAFTA, Pips Oscar Nomination For Sound Mixing…Far More Prestigious Is CAS Award For Sound For ResulForget the much-hyped Oscar nomination that he has received for his exemplary work in sound-mixing for Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire(SM). India’s best known sound designer Resul Pookutty has just won the prestigious BAFTA award for his sound [...]

Subhash K Jha: Delhi 6 belongs to Abhishek Bachchan

Written by Subhash K Jha on February 22nd, 2009

So simple from above and yet so lusciously layered beneath, Delhi 6 does what its director’s last work Rang De Basanti did so spectacularly. It pushes the boundaries of cinematic entertainment almost beyond the brink. But catches its breath just in time in an exhilarating exhalation of enchanting thoughts, images and characters that seem to [...]

Subhash K Jha: Billu Barber is not the film that you wanted it to be

Written by Subhash K Jha on February 14th, 2009

Let’s be clear on one thing. Billu Barber is not the film that you wanted it to be. A bitter-sweet portrait of the chequered and troubled star-fan relationship, it falls short of expectations mainly because the prolific Priyadarshan fills up the spaces occupying the star Shah Rukh and the commoner Irrfan Khan‘s tale with a [...]

Subhash K Jha: Anurag Kashyap at last sheds his obstinate inaccessibility as a filmmaker

Written by Subhash K Jha on February 7th, 2009

Fiery unforgettably unstoppable in her self-worth… Paro, now transposed to Punjab (gawd, yeh ladki kahan-kahan jayegi?!) knows her Devdas just back from England wants some quality sex. As determined as ever, she cycles to the nearest sugarcane fields with a bulky bedroll tied to the carrier, spreads it, and herself, out for her foreign-returned lover-boy… [...]

Blog: Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire makes Mumbai look like a sewer!

Written by Subhash K Jha on January 31st, 2009

Anil Kapoor stood up and cheered lustily into the camera when Danny Boyle won the Golden Golden Globe last weekend. I wish I could share his enthusiasm for Danny’s phenomenal flight into frenzy. After all the accolades and awards Slumdog Millionaire(SM) proves to be a deafening blow to the year that saw Mumbai go numb [...]