Sacred Games is actually not so good
I know I am late to this Sacred Games party as my beloved commenters knows it takes me forever to put up new material. I actually saw the first Sacred Games early last year. I found somewhat entertaining but also irritating and frustrating in parts. I wished to do a review of it but the problem there is really nothing memorable and captivating about it that makes you wish to revisit it. Compare this to Anurag Kashyap's previous work in say Black Friday(a superb fast moving thriller) and Satya(redefined the gangster genre, some say it was Ramgopal Varma's last serious film).
But this ? What is this supposed to be? Part of the problem is Vikram Chandra's rambling narrative. He and Deepak Seth are notorious for looking at one page idea and wonder "hmm what would this look like in 2000 pages?" People forget that the original Godfather was based a novel which was considered quite terrible. Mario Puzo's most famous work included a major plot where an actress tried to raise money to get her genitals modified. Francis Ford Coppola wisely ditched this and other plots to make cinematic history from an otherwise obscure and trashy novel. While I wouldnt call Vikram Chandra's general work trashy it similarly does not translate well into film. Especially by a director who is known for laconic and terse works.
Another problem I have is with Anurag Kashyap's inability to grow up. Cuss words ,sex,violence and nudity are suitable for a gangster epic but it seems that he seems to revel in it like a 12 year old boy smoking a cigarette for the first time. It makes him feel naughty and edgy and believes it translates onto the screen. It does not. It maybe for the Indian audience but remember this is geared towards an international audience whose exposure to series such as Narcos and Fauda makes them a tough crowd to sell edgy to . They can spot this a mile away and they did.
Of course even on Netflix the Hindu right doesnt catch a break. It is the usual Mahesh Bhatt style tropes of noble Sikhs battling corrupt right wing Hindu cops and frothing at the mouth Brahmins against innocent Muslims. If I needed to watch this type of stuff I would look at any 1990s movie.
And if they are dead set on glorifying Sikhs would it be too much to ask to I dont know have a Sikh actor play the main Sikh character? Or since we are on the subject have a Manipuri or Assamese play Mary Kom instead of Priyanka Chopra? I suppose this is what passes for diversity in Bollywood.
Dont be fooled by the Netflix branding. This is very much Bollywood. This would be considered edgy maybe 15 years ago. In the mean time better watch Narcos or better yet Fauda now in its third season.
I only heard of it but never saw it so I really cannot comment much on this issue.
ReplyDeleteBut I cannot help but wonder whether this Anurag Kashyap dude (or other Bollywood directors) ever think of anything new.
All in all, I do not see too much creativity from India. Even the music is essentially copied from others. So many Bollywood songs are actually copied from Persian and Arabic songs. The 1990s Bollywood song "Mere Sawalon ka Jawab Do" was blatantly copied from Swedish band Europe's "The Final Countdown" (which was the generational anthem when it was released). Similarly, a song for the film Befikre (composed by Vishal Dadlani) was lifted verbatim from a Japanese anime theme song. All of this without credits to the original source. I can go on and on but I do not want to overdo it.
Is there any way to usher in originality in contemporary Indian art?
There are videos on YouTube about Bollywood shamelessly copying pakistani songs.
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MngFcPLokY
To be fair Anurag Kashyap did write Satya and Kaun. Two very interesting films directed by RGV at his prime.
Deletehahaha. Pretty much every famous 80s song out there was copied by Bollywood including my favorite 80s song Self Control by RAF and Laura Branigan which was not copied once but twice! And who can forget Brother Louie Louie as Bolo Zoubi Zoubi hahaha
Best way to foster creativity is for film makers to use native traditions and vocabulary and merge with Western aesthetics and technology as they see fit. There is no quality control in Bollywood so someone rips something off no producer,star or screenwriter says "hey you cant do that , its immoral and illegal and shameful" . Indeed copying is very lucrative from an ROI standpoint , less time spent in composing music, dialogue, shots, story etc. Just copy, paste and done. Christopher Nolan joked that even as Murugadoss ripped of Memento to make Ghajini that he didnt see a single dime of that money.
When Indian filmmakers become accountable to point of pain i.e sued in courts nothing will change.
Coming to back to creativity and traditional culture, Bahubali resonated with people because it didnt seem to try being something else but a retelling of traditional Indian folktales with references to epics such as Mahabharata and local history (names of characters and cities taken from Chalukya and Kalachuri dynasties).
Ashutosh Gowariker tries to do the same but fails but because he is frankly not very good. All his films seem stale and superficial because he is not really that interested in the cultural aspects and traditions at all. The eras be they Mughal, Mohenjadaro or Peshwa are just backdrops for a very bland and generic romance which can be transported anywhere which is why you dont get a sense of feeling of the place and he is utterly unable to transport you to a different world.
If you watch movies such as Ridley Scotts 1492 Conquest of Paradise or Stanley Kubricks Barry Lyndon , the lighting, costumes ,set design, smoke, rubble, dirt ,grit not to mention character portrayl made you believe you watching something from another world. The latter arguably is most important, often times characters speak ,behave and think as if they live in contemporary times which makes it seem rathe rridiculous.
Really this fool Gowariker should stop making movies and ruining Indian history.
Oh now I see why Bahubali was such a hit. I did not see it yet so I cannot comment but I suppose you must be right.
DeleteI do not know much about Ashutosh Gowariker but I agree that there is absolutely zero accountability in Indian cinema. They simply copy/paste from abroad and set it rolling. Worse, some people even went as far as calling it a "translation"!
And yes, I prefer to watch foreign movies or series which are original rather than Indian ones which are rip offs.
Godfather is my favorite movie along with taxi driver 1976. What are your thoughts on JOKER 2019? I despise indian cinema both north and south. I have a soft corner for Aparichit (Anniyan) but it could be due to nostalgia.
ReplyDeleteHave you watched american sitcoms like Seinfeld and Frasier? Frasier is the best written show ever in my opinion.
I saw the Joker but really didnt see what the big deal was. I dont know what Im missing. It seemed to emulate a lot of 70s early 80s movies about dystopian cities (usually NYC) such as Taxi Driver. Id rather watch that again than Joker. Not a bad movie but it didnt resonate with me as it did with so many others obviously. I think it is bigger I saw many far more edgy and superior films on similar subjects.
DeleteI like Shankars films such as Gentleman and Indian even Mudhalvan and Kaadhalan. But not Sivaji and Robot haha. Problem is he lets his imagination run too wild and you end up with completely nonsensical scenarios such as the CM personally defusing all the bombs in the city or the terrible fight scene in the airplane runway and corny special effects in Indian. He needs a strong producer to keep him in check.
I love Seinfeld and Curb Your enthusiasm. I dont know what is it with the young Indians today . THey are lacking any personality or curiosity or edginess whatsoever. They prefer formulaic feel good slop like Friends which was considered quaint even when in the 90s.
My opinions were the same as you on JOKER. Taxi driver and Kings of comedy are miles better.
DeletePsychiatry is stalinism on steroids- stifling Political dissent
ReplyDeleteFrasier is filth of JewnitedStAtes mulato fiefdom haha
So I wear black all black starting in a few weeks time inshallah
Arent you that idiot who used post here a few years ago claiming that Sakas were vegetarian or something.
DeleteMulato? Are you a white nationalist? What do you care if whites and black interbreed?
Psychiatry is not my cup of tea. Like a lot of medical professions it has sold out to the pharmaceutical industry and actually makes people worse off and dependent. That said it can genuinely help people within certain parameters.
Now regarding Frasier which either you didnt see or if you did see it you are clearly too stupid to understand- it is not about celebrating psychiatry at all. Fraiser and his brother are Harvard trained psychiatrists , intellectually quite formidable and yes Frasier was married to a cold ,clinical Jewish woman aptly named Lilith. However they are shown to be rather unable to help people in a meaningful way despite their good intentions. It is always their blue collar father,who is retired policeman, or Frasiers down to earth and promiscuos producer whose common sense wisdom has the last laugh.
Honestly I agree with your first line to an extant. But its people like you who utterly disgust and repel others from following good causes . But you use it as a vehicle to promote your various disgusting agendas. Please do the world a favor and go in a lobotomy.
Yes, he is the same Prabhnoor Rangi. He posted here under that name but is now anonymous.
Deletehttp://empiresoflight.blogspot.com/2016/09/what-is-supremacy-clause-of-hindu.html