Category Archives: Film

It was not long back when masala was the successful genre of Bollywood. Illogical star studded films soared the box office. Public was happy just to see their favorite stars dancing. But times are changing now. Small budget sensible films are getting their rewards, while many big, highly promoted films are failing. Films have started to run on direction, performances and the overall cinematic experience of the viewer. Continue reading →

90’s was the decade that marked the end to an era of world cinema. With the death of directors Kubrick, Ray, Kurosawa, Fellini and David Lean, cinema was left nowhere! Renoir, Welles and Hitchcock were already dead and Bergman had retired! Though Godard and Hou contributed significantly, as did Kiarostami, Rohmer, Angelopoulos, Rivette, Mike Leigh, Wong Kar-wai, Almodovar, Kusturica and Pialat, among many others. But the greats of world cinema were gone! Continue reading →

Toshiro Mifune was the legendary Japanese actor  who appeared in almost 170 feature films. He’s best remembered for his roles in Akira Kurosawa films. He was the perfect portrayal of a samurai. Mifune was tough! But he was more than just tough, he was funny. And unlike a lot of western tough-guys, he could act! Mifune could be clownish (Seven Samurai), stoic (“Samurai” trilogy) or tender (Red Beard). Continue reading →

Throughout my childhood, I was fascinated with the different ways film villains died in movies, may it be the electrocution of Mogambo or the roaring end of Shakaal in Shaan. The more brutal the villain is, the more glorified the hero becomes after putting an end to his deeds. My teacher recently wrote a fascinating post on how tracing these villains can reconstruct most of the popular culture of our country. Continue reading →