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Bioscope Stories 1912-1919 (Day 1034)

By Films

Indian cinema is more than 100 years old and still, there is so much we don’t know about our cinema. For the next few weeks, I will tell you magical stories from the magical years. Did you know that the first feature length film released in India was Shree Pundalik, a silent film in Marathi by Dadasaheb Torne at Coronation Cinematograph, Mumbai and the year was 1912?

In the year 1913 Raja Harishchandra although a silent film with intertitles in Marathi, English and Hindi I regarded as the first Marathi film because its cast and staff were all Marathi people. In 1914 the first permanent cinema hall, Elphinstone Picture Palace built by J F Madan, opened at Queen’s Road in Delhi.

15541345_1324662607604316_6081590208820897782_nIn 1915 S N Patankar launched a film producing company- Patankar Union, and produced a historical film- Murder of Narayanrao Peshwa. In 1916 the first silent film in Tamil, Keechaka Vadham was made by R Nataraja Mudaliar. In the year 1917 Elphinstone Bioscope Co. Calcutta produced Satyawadi Raja Harishchandra, a remake of Phalke’s Raja Harishchandra.

 

In 1918 Keechaka Vadham was the first silent film made in South India but since no print of the film is known to survive, this makes it a lost film. In 1919 Elphinstone merged into Madan Theatres Limited and introduced many of Bengal’s popular literary works on stage.

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20 February, 2017
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Celebration Time (Day 1033)

By Books, Event

Our hospitality partner The Club had laid out the best snacks for the evening and the guests relished the aloo tikkis with cholle and hot chai/ coffee.

In the excitement of the evening, we had forgotten to cut the cake so did it on our own and relished it.

With the chief guest gone, finally it was time to pose pictures with everyone connected to the evening: Alpa Mehta who put a lot of effort to make the ceremony special, singers Parthiv and Manasi Gohil and of course the Khannas and RJ Siddharth who proved a great host for the evening.

17.02.2017 gohilsFollow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram  @bhawanasomaaya

17 February, 2017
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Photographs and Goodbyes (Day 1032)

By Books, Event

When an actor opens up and shares his life it is very tempting to keep the conversation going but wisdom is in knowing when to discontinue. That evening there was magic in the air and the people invited for the book release could have listened to Bachchan talk forever but I had promised to relieve him at 8 pm and therefore called it a day.

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It is never easy for the photographers to let him go and had it not been for his personal security escorting him to his car the exit is always a special exercise.

16 February, 2017
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Bol Bachchan Part 2 (Day 1031)

By Books, Event

Bachchan said there is no favorite decade for him because every decade has made significant contribution in terms of content and artistes and to specify one would be unfair to the filmmakers. He said he was fortunate to be given a break in cinema, fortunate to be signed by good writers and directors and fortunate to be appreciated by the audience.  He said, “Somebody wrote things for me, somebody asked me to wear something, somebody asked me to walk somewhere and I just followed like a robot.  He recalled Hrishikesh Mukherjee who would never allow him retakes and when the actor insisted Hrishida said ‘Yes, provided you pay for the footage’. About Manmohan Desai Bachchan said there was a madness about him that was illogical but touched the audience’s heart which is why all MKD films were super hits.”

15.02.17. signing 1He said during his time, there would be just two women on the film set, the heroine and her mother. “But now, 50 percent of the work force on a film set is female. I think that is a huge change. When young girls handle the film set whether it is production, camera, continuity department as an actor I feel secure because women are more efficient than men and I know that as an actor I don’t have to worry about continuity”.

Bachchan elaborated on his recent film Pikku and described it as a relationship between a father and a daughter. About Pink he said the film has a strong identification with daughters in the world particularly in India.  “It’s a burning issue and needed to be addressed in the most powerful way and filmmakers did that. II am fortunate to be a part of the project. The film has an important message that ‘No means No’ and the audience has understood that.  Pink is no more a film it has because of the public reaction become a movement.”

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15 February, 2017
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Bol Bachchan (Day 1030)

By Books, Event

Amitabh Bachchan is a mesmerizing speaker and has the ability to hold his audience when on stage. He can speak on any topic and on any occasion and whatever he says is always from straight from the heart. Today he had to talk on a subject closest to his heart, cinema and became nostalgic.

14.02.17 unveiling iiHe said “I was born and brought up in Allahabad and in that part of UP Capital Cinema was the most famous theatre and everybody looked forward to visit the cinema hall. Every time there was a new release my parents would make inquiries from friends or watch the film themselves if it would make an appropriate viewing for kids before taking us to the movies.

My brother and I were used to this exercise and every time prayed that they will not censor our outings. The first film I watched in a theatre was Laurel and Hardy’s The Flying Deuces. The first film to have a major impact on me was a Children’s film called Jaagriti and the ticket those days was aath aana/50 paise

I have vivid memories when the first air-conditioned theatre came in Allahabad, it was called Niranjan Talkies. The first film I watched at Niranjan Talkies was a Dev Anand – Dilip Kumar starrer and though I watched many films in the same theatre for so many years the experience of the first film was unforgettable.

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14 February, 2017
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Unveiling the Book (Day 1029)

By Books, Event

Most books are released in the same way but we wanted to be different.  We wanted to do something different and not have them wrapped in glossy paper so chose an ornate box instead and had it carried to by little kids dressed in Anthony Gonsalves costume.

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The Club had designed a special cake resembling the book cover which in the excitement we forgot to cut because the unveiling was long and elaborate and took longer than anticipated. The box was heavy and we needed help on stage but finally we managed.

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Posing with the book is the most important moment at a book release and what cameramen describe as Photo Opportunity, most of the time this becomes a finale but in our case it was the beginning. Bachchan signed a couple of copies and then comfortably seated on the stage for an In Conversation.

 

13 February, 2017
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Jolly LLB holds a mirror to our judiciary

By Films

Film Review: Jolly LLB 2

Date: 10.02. 2017

Producer: Fox Star

Writer/Director: Subhash Kapoor

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Huma Qureshi, Annu Kapoor, Saurabh Shukla

Rating: 3.5 stars

Music: Manj Musik, Meet Bros, Chirantan Bhatt

 

A sequel to the year 2013 release  Jolly LLB a satirical black comedy, written and directed by Subhash Kapoor, Jolly LLB 2 once again, addresses the Indian legal system.

If earlier, Jagdish Tyagi/ Arshad Warsi fought to defend six innocent accused against the arrogant lawyer Tejinder Rajpal/ Boman Irani, the controversial case resolved by Justice Tripathi/ Saurabh Shukla in Delhi court.

Four years later, Jolly LLB 2 presents Jagdishwar Mishra/ Akshay Kumar shifted from Kanpur to Lucknow and still struggling for a living.  Jolly familiar with chaotic and dingy court corridors, survives by fighting petty cases in order to make a quick buck and earn a decent living.

He dreams of becoming a full-fledged Lawyer with a chamber and when opportunity knocks on his door, Jolly jumps at the chance and makes a mistake he lives to regret. Jolly is abrasive and ambitious but has his heart in its place and when he is faced with the horror of his action he is quick to make damage control. He is inexperienced but earnest and this time, fights for a cause!

His opponent is yet another powerful lawyer, the best in Lucknow, Sachin Mathur/ Annu Kapoor and once again the verdict is given by Justice Tripathi/Saurabh Shukla.

Jolly LLB won two national awards and Jolly LLB 2 is in every way a more engaging film than the prequel. What works about the film is the gripping narrative, the realistic characterizations and the ensemble performances – every actor in the smallest scene is spectacular be int the young Heena who meets with a tragedy or the senior Rizwi saab who speaks of his regrets in career.

Subhash Kapoor is a director of details and it is evident in the costumes, the choice of locations, production design and importantly, the dialogues – every character speaks in a different dialect and a vocabulary representing his temperament and roots.

In the prequel the film traveled us to Gorakhpur and Delhi, this time he drives into the narrow lanes of Lucknow, lingers over the ghats of Benaras and chases adventure in the valleys of Srinagar.

The minus of the film is that after the interval you feel stifled in the courtroom and that is precisely the motive of the film. To make you uncomfortable! If we as audience cannot sit through a single proceeding beyond a point, is it fair to expect that just 2100 judges will be able to address a total of 3 crore pending cases of a country? Is it fair that they battle with the web of  lies searching for truth, day after day and year after year sitting in this dingy room?

Jolly LLB 2 should be watched for the extraordinary performances – the prolific Saurabh Shukla who owns Tripathi in every expression and gesture, the amazing Annu Kapoor who exhibits a range of expression, the last is a masterstroke! The  self-assured Akshay Kumar who has quietly but surely evolved as the most dependable actors of his generation and above all, writer director Subhash Kapoor who rises above  family/ social/ legal issues to take a moral stand that truth always triumphs!

10 February, 2017
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Introducing the Guest (Day 1028)

By Books, Event

It is mandatory to say a few words about the chief guest before inviting him on stage. The media has exhausted adjectives and epithets in describing the actor so I do it in my special way:

Once upon a time, long, long ago in 1978 when I was a cup reporter Amitabh Bachchan was not talking to the media and was a superstar…In 1989 I launched my magazine, Amitabh Bachchan was still not talking to the media and was still a superstar…In 2000 I edited a film weekly, three generation of actors had come in, Amitabh Bachchan was now communicating with the media and still a superstar. In 2009 I joined a radio channel and by now cinema had changed drastically but Amitabh Bachchan at the ripe age of 73 was still playing center stage and yes, is still a superstar.

There is a possibility that in near future I may be without a job or retire but I know for sure Amitabh Bachchan will always be a superstar.

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10 February, 2017
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