Onir’s I Am has already gained pre-release reputation as the first crowd-sourced film in Hindi cinema. Laudable achievement indeed! If that gave him the independence to make the kind of film he wanted, this development bodes well for crowd sourcing. It is a testimony to the integrity of the artist to have molded that energy into something meaningful. For a strategic Saturday night viewing in Los Angeles, the film brought full theater and loud applause in the end, bright signs for the kind of film it is and for Onir himself, whose presence was sorely missed.
I Am is an anthology of four stories by one director. There isn’t enough space here to quibble about the exact term for this form, which presents multiple (here: four) short films thematically linked together, let us note that over the past two decades or so, world cinema has witnessed resurgence of...
I Am is an anthology of four stories by one director. There isn’t enough space here to quibble about the exact term for this form, which presents multiple (here: four) short films thematically linked together, let us note that over the past two decades or so, world cinema has witnessed resurgence of...
- 4/17/2011
- by Shekhar Deshpande
- DearCinema.com
The 33rd Gothenburg International Film Festival (Giff) ended last Sunday. This port city on Sweden’s west coast and home to the Volvo company, is the world’s largest market for Nordic films. The main event at the festival is the prestigious Nordic Competition, where films from the five Nordic countries – Sweden, Norway, Finland, Demark, and Iceland are screened. This year Denmark made a very strong showing with two Danish films tipped to win the award. Brotherhood, a debut feature from Nicolo Donato explores the rise of fascist neo-Nazi groups and the problems that arise when homosexuality is discovered among its ranks. R, also a debut feature by directors Michael Noer and Tobias Lindholm, is a grim film about prison life. In the end, R emerged victorious.
It seems to be a time for prison films - Jacques Audiard’s The Prophet, won the Grand Prix at the 2009 Cannes film...
It seems to be a time for prison films - Jacques Audiard’s The Prophet, won the Grand Prix at the 2009 Cannes film...
- 2/18/2010
- by Asha Kasbekar
- DearCinema.com
Mumbai, Aamir Khan for "Taare Zameen Par" and Adoor Gopalakrishnan for Malayalam film "Naalu Pennungal" are among the directors nominated for this year's V. Shantaram Award. The Rajkamal Academy of Cinematic Excellence (Race), which for the last 15 years has been annually presenting the awards named after legendary filmmaker V. Shantaram, will give away the 15th awards here Dec 26.Apart from Aamir Khan and Adoor Gopalakrishnan, the others nominated for best director are Mangesh Haldawale for Marathi film "Tingya", Ashutosh Gowariker ("Jodhaa Akbar"), Girish Kasaravalli ("Gulabi Talkies" in Kannada) and Neeraj Pandey ("A Wednesday"). For the best film, the nominations are for "A Wednesday", "Jodhaa Akbar", "Taare Zameen Par", "Kadha ...
- 12/21/2008
- Bollywoodworld.com
Mumbai, Bollywood director Abhishek Kapoor's recent hit "Rock On!!" will open the second annual Indian Visions Film Festival to be held in Washington DC. Commencing Thursday, the festival will conclude with Adoor Gopalakrishnan's "Naalu Pennungal" (Four Women) Nov 16.Set in Mumbai, "Rock On!!" stars Farhan Akhtar, Arjun Rampal, Luke Kenny and Purab Kohli and revolves around a group of four aspiring musicians who form a rock band called "Magik". The music of the film became a rage among youngsters.Apart from "Rock On!!", other feature films to be showcased at the festival include "Welcome to Sajjanpur" (Shyam Benegal), "A Wednesday" (Neeraj Pandey), "Mumbai Meri Jaan" (Nishikant Kamat) and "Valu: The Wild Bull" (Umesh Kulkarni) among ...
- 11/11/2008
- Bollywoodworld.com
Toronto International Film Fetival
CHENNAI, India -- Indian auteur Adoor Gopalakrishnan swims and survives in a sea of big-budget movies, aggressively promoted by Bollywood bucks and bigwigs. His latest feature, 10th in 35 years, proves his unwavering commitment to meaningful cinema that began with his first, Swayamvaram ("One's Own Choice") in 1972. A keen eye for detail, a remarkable feel for authenticity and an undying love for each of his characters have helped Adoor -- as he is popularly known -- to create celluloid excellence, which is at once refreshing, even rejuvenating, for it is so different from the usual song-and-dance Indian cinema.
In Adoor's films, real people exist, facing and fighting real predicaments in often complex situations, and these have endeared him to very ordinary cinema audiences, as they have to critical festival buffs. Therefore, Four Women (Naalu Pennungal) in Malayalam, premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, is sure to find a market not just overseas but also at home, particularly in southern India.
Four Women is divided into four chapters, each dealing with a different problem women face. Beyond the obvious thematic link, women, each chapters, based on renowned Kerala writer Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai's short stories, touches on the injustice heaped on this sex by society.
The first episode examines a prostitute's distress when she and the man she chooses to live with are accused of illicit relationship and jailed. The woman who wants to begin a new life is ridiculed by the sentencing judge, and an obstacle is placed on her path to reformation and love.
In the second section, aspersions are cast on a farming woman when her impotent (or is it gay?) husband sends her back to her parents' home. In a disturbing night scene, we see the woman suffer terrible hurt and humiliation when he rejects her with callous words, It is too hot. This story is aptly subtitled Virgin.
The third part captures the angst of a housewife whose children fail to live beyond a few days after birth. The narrative, touching upon sorrow and desire but subtly laced with humor, places the woman in a quandary as she fights the temptation to sleep with an old schoolmate if only to beget a child.
We see the same lure in a spinster in the final segment, where she invites a man home, but hesitates and finally refuses to let him in. With her brother and two younger sisters married, she is left with little choice: either be a piece of furniture in a sibling's home, scoffed at and used as a domestic, or sink into solitude.
These stories take place in 1940s Kerala, but are relevant even today, for Indian women, especially in the villages, still have to grapple with social prejudices and impediments. What gives the film an even greater impulsion are the strong performances that Adoor has been able to draw from his actors, turning them into eminently believable characters. In perhaps her best attempt ever, Nandita Das as Kamakashi infuses the anguish of a woman left by the wayside. Her face conveys pain and helplessness.
Padma Priya transits with consummate ease from a brash streetwalker to one seeking stability, even if it is within a live-in relationship. If Geetu Mohandas brings dignity to Kumari stoically bearing the mortification of rejection, Manju Pillai gives nuances to the frustration of being childless.
FOUR WOMEN
Adoor Gopalakrishnan Prods.
Credits:
Director/Producer/Production designer: Adoor Gopalakrishnan
Writer: Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai
Based on stories by: Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai
Director of photography: M.J Radhakrishnan
Art director: Marthandam
Music: Isaac Thomas
Co-producer: Benzy Martin
Costume designer: S.B. Satheesh
Editor: Ajith Kumar
Cast:
Kunju Pennu: Padma Priya
Papu Kutti: Sreejith
Kumari: Geetu Mohandas
Narayanan: Nandu
Chinnu: Manju Pillai
Raman Pillai: Murali
Nara Pillai: Mukesh
Kamakshi: Nandita Das
Shubdra: Kavya Madhavan
Sarojam: Ramya Nambisan
Running time -- 105 minutes
No MPAA rating...
CHENNAI, India -- Indian auteur Adoor Gopalakrishnan swims and survives in a sea of big-budget movies, aggressively promoted by Bollywood bucks and bigwigs. His latest feature, 10th in 35 years, proves his unwavering commitment to meaningful cinema that began with his first, Swayamvaram ("One's Own Choice") in 1972. A keen eye for detail, a remarkable feel for authenticity and an undying love for each of his characters have helped Adoor -- as he is popularly known -- to create celluloid excellence, which is at once refreshing, even rejuvenating, for it is so different from the usual song-and-dance Indian cinema.
In Adoor's films, real people exist, facing and fighting real predicaments in often complex situations, and these have endeared him to very ordinary cinema audiences, as they have to critical festival buffs. Therefore, Four Women (Naalu Pennungal) in Malayalam, premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, is sure to find a market not just overseas but also at home, particularly in southern India.
Four Women is divided into four chapters, each dealing with a different problem women face. Beyond the obvious thematic link, women, each chapters, based on renowned Kerala writer Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai's short stories, touches on the injustice heaped on this sex by society.
The first episode examines a prostitute's distress when she and the man she chooses to live with are accused of illicit relationship and jailed. The woman who wants to begin a new life is ridiculed by the sentencing judge, and an obstacle is placed on her path to reformation and love.
In the second section, aspersions are cast on a farming woman when her impotent (or is it gay?) husband sends her back to her parents' home. In a disturbing night scene, we see the woman suffer terrible hurt and humiliation when he rejects her with callous words, It is too hot. This story is aptly subtitled Virgin.
The third part captures the angst of a housewife whose children fail to live beyond a few days after birth. The narrative, touching upon sorrow and desire but subtly laced with humor, places the woman in a quandary as she fights the temptation to sleep with an old schoolmate if only to beget a child.
We see the same lure in a spinster in the final segment, where she invites a man home, but hesitates and finally refuses to let him in. With her brother and two younger sisters married, she is left with little choice: either be a piece of furniture in a sibling's home, scoffed at and used as a domestic, or sink into solitude.
These stories take place in 1940s Kerala, but are relevant even today, for Indian women, especially in the villages, still have to grapple with social prejudices and impediments. What gives the film an even greater impulsion are the strong performances that Adoor has been able to draw from his actors, turning them into eminently believable characters. In perhaps her best attempt ever, Nandita Das as Kamakashi infuses the anguish of a woman left by the wayside. Her face conveys pain and helplessness.
Padma Priya transits with consummate ease from a brash streetwalker to one seeking stability, even if it is within a live-in relationship. If Geetu Mohandas brings dignity to Kumari stoically bearing the mortification of rejection, Manju Pillai gives nuances to the frustration of being childless.
FOUR WOMEN
Adoor Gopalakrishnan Prods.
Credits:
Director/Producer/Production designer: Adoor Gopalakrishnan
Writer: Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai
Based on stories by: Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai
Director of photography: M.J Radhakrishnan
Art director: Marthandam
Music: Isaac Thomas
Co-producer: Benzy Martin
Costume designer: S.B. Satheesh
Editor: Ajith Kumar
Cast:
Kunju Pennu: Padma Priya
Papu Kutti: Sreejith
Kumari: Geetu Mohandas
Narayanan: Nandu
Chinnu: Manju Pillai
Raman Pillai: Murali
Nara Pillai: Mukesh
Kamakshi: Nandita Das
Shubdra: Kavya Madhavan
Sarojam: Ramya Nambisan
Running time -- 105 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 9/19/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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