Message Is In The Medium

I recently saw the trailer of upcoming Anubhav Sinha film, Article 15 . It seems like a film exposing caste realities prevalent in our society- not that our society can be termed as one, rather a bunch of overlapping mixes of cultures- through the eyes of a somewhat outsider policeman played by Ayushmann Khurrana. It got me thinking. Does this narrative work. Of course Anubhav Sinha’s previous similar attempt to showcase society’s(bunch of overlapping mixes of cultures) communal underbelly did work for him and his film Mulk did make money, as i am told. But does that movie and this new one really put forward a convincing argument for the anti-communal or anti-casteist ideologies? I think, not. Both the films by Anubhav Sinha, Mulk and Article 15 (judgement on Article 15 is based on the trailer only, so could become off the point once the movie releases) appeal to the pity of those who benefit from the communal and casteist differences. The movies talk of how difficult the ...

Christopher Nolan’s Inception has emerged as one of the most favorite film of millennial nerds. The uniqueness of the film lies in the fact that it features in the list of indie mind bending thrillers and top-grossing mainstream sci-fi films at the same time. On one hand it is in league with movies like Predestination, Primer, The Man From Earth , etc. and simultaneously enjoys following like Star Trek , and superhero films. Since the day of its release, Inception has been analyzed and re-analyzed time and again. Its world and characters have long been subjects of debate, not to mention the cliffhanger climax, which have provided nerds with ample mental boners. But what I feel keep missing the discourse is why Nolan finds this story worth telling. What is the moral of this story. What is the dream world really about? Does it have a real-world counterpart? Is it possible that it exists solely for itself and has absolutely no reflection on the pop culture? Of course, it does. It i...

Recently we all found out that the Madras High Court banned TikTok application because it is indecent for children and it connects vulnerable impressionable kids to lurking sexual predators. If you read closely, the same argument applies to internet as whole and might even be used to ban internet as well. TikTok, not any more complex than Instagram or Dubsmash still gets a ban unlike the other applications simply for its content and not the company policy. It's like overthrowing democracy in India because there are too many corrupt politicians. But this is not really the first time that we have had such an approach to our problems. This really is the Indian way of dealing with any issue. The solution to every problem. Don’t talk about it. Ban it. We have caste discrimination in our country. A section of people are humiliated for what their ancestors did as a livelihood. So much that names of communities have been equated with swear words. How did we solve the problem? We ...

Nationalism in film is nothing new to be appreciated or criticized. But what is lacking in discourse is the analysis of this film nationalism. Why haven't anyone as of yet attempted to trace a pattern to this sort of Indian film making? Are we afraid? Or are we really this “nationalistic”? Well we do cry when are soldiers die? That must mean something. Shouldn't it? Kesari is the newest addition in our long list of tear jerking patriotic cinema. And I don't write this sarcastically. Kesari is patriotic. And a few other things as well. Although the plot and dialogues try everything they have to prove that 36 Sikh regiment of the British Indian army did not fight on British orders to protect British forts but to prove their valour and worth and the great sacrificing spirit of the community, the songs talk of teri mitti mein mil jaavan and the sacrifice of the soldier. Pretty much what nationalism is about in its entirety. Interestingly, the songs reflect the ...

Skimming through popular news and avoiding rampant hateful opinions, I stumbled upon a trivial news about filmmaker Tigmanshu Dhulia. He found grand success of films like  Total Dhamaal  worrying. Tigmanshu Dhulia has directed films like  Paan  Singh  Tomar  and  Sahib Bibi Aur Gangster.  He played the famous Ramadhir Singh in Anurag Kashyap's crime opus  Gangs of Wasseypur . It seemed unlikely an artist of that statute be jealous of a fellow filmmaker's talent. Yes, he could be jealous of a fellow filmmaker's bank balance, of course. So, I dug in. You see, I need to give out a long introduction for Tigmanshu Dhulia. He is not famous enough. Though, this could be a reason for him to crib about  Total Dhamaal , it surely was reason enough for the news portal to not give him even 200 words to explain his side. Nevertheless, it got me thinking. He says success of such films talk of poor state of the audiences. Poor state. Not poor taste...

Uri: The Surgical Strike theatrical poster Well, the answer is yes. Just not in the way you think. It saves you a lot of time and you can leave right away if you cannot read beyond the headlines. Also, if you were looking for some confirmation bias and don't have patience to listen to the other side. And honestly, both  for  and  against  groups on this topic have gone deaf to other side. But let's not blame anyone here. It is the standard these days. In the world of today, arguments are not meant to explain your point with reason but to please those who already agree with you. Confirmation bias blooms on all fences. Opinions become content and there exists an audience for whatever side you pick. So what side do I pick? Well, no points for guessing; none.  Uri: the Surgical Strike  is propaganda but not in the way it portrays the events but the way it depicts the army. If I still have your attention, we could be friends. Uri: the Surgical Strike...

Simmba  is not a landmark Hindi film of recent times. Let's get this out if our expectations first. Despite the fact that the movie dabbles into a number of relevant issues of our times and is a major box office success, it gets written off by most film critics as another rape-revenge drama with obligatory comedy for Indian "masses". Why comedy with other serious issues? Otherwise who'll watch the film? Besides comedy, there is another important element common in our Bollywood action dick-flicks , namely, bullying. Success of Street food Cinema Critics and "industry insiders" and maybe even a large chunk of audiences like to call the  Simmba -cinema Bollywood masalas or mass entertainers; westerners call it "fan service". And asshole liberals  like me call them dick-flicks where whoever has the biggest penis wins in the end. It is called  Masala  because it supposedly has something for everyone, and mass entertainers because it is meant ...

Andhadhun poster Halfway through watching Andhadhun on Netflix, I realized the characters have all got somewhat ironic arcs. One pretending to be blind actually becomes blind, someone who stole human organs asked to donate their organs, lady Macbeth reference, and many more that I missed. These ironic arcs make you a little skeptical about the plot of the film. It begins to feel like the story is a little too good to be true. With a number of lucky coincidences, heavenly influences and sudden changes of heart, Andhadhun feels more and more Bollywood . But then the movie does not drag for even a second; which, keeps you hooked. Considering that the same director, Sriram Raghavan, had earlier given us another gem called Badlapur , where all characters keep looking for closures and lead miserable lives, I decided the makers want me to be skeptical. After all, real lives are more like Badlapur and not like Andhadhun. And as the movie ends, Raghavan's intentions become clear. ...