Kurosawa always wanted to make a really entertaining film. The idea he had was so simple and interesting, it surprises me that no one else ever thought of it earlier! The idea was about rivalry on two sides, both sides being equally bad. We all encounter situations where we are stuck between two evils and…

Japanese films are divided in two categories- the jidai-geki or period films and the gendai-mono or modern-story films- which generally carry the conception of crime, thriller and western cinema. The jidai for long lingered with romantics and used age old film making methods. Among the films that are originally jidai, but in gendai style, Throne of Blood…

A new trend is emerging in Indian cinema. Our new directors are fascinated about making derived films on real or known stories. Take Raavan, No One Killed Jessica and Raajneeti for example. These films had fictionalized an entire set of events, but viewers already knew whom they were seeing on screen. They kept comparing or contrasting, and due…

Beyond the legendary samurai tales, if Kurosawa is remembered for one film, it is Ikiru. The genesis of this film, in Kurosawa’s own words, was in his meditations upon death. While the philosophical intent of the film is elaborately discussed, Kurosawa made this film for another practical reason– to create a vivid and realistic picture of contemporary…