My Oscar Wishlist 2015

After the debacle of 2014, I have decided I will not be boastful about my predictions. This year, I humbly give you...my wishlist for the Oscars. (These are the nominees I hope will win this Sunday, not the ones I think will win) (I don't think I can make this any clearer) (NOT predictions, wishes)

Best Picture - Birdman; Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher and James W. Skotchdopole, Producers

Director- Boyhood; Richard Linklater

Actor - Eddie Redmayne;  The Theory of Everything

Supporting Actor - J.K. Simmons; Whiplash

Actress - Rosamund Pike;Gone Girl

Supporting Actress - Patricia Arquette; Boyhood

Animated Feature - How to Train Your Dragon 2; Dean DeBlois and Bonnie Arnold

Adapted Screenplay – Whiplash; Damien Chazelle

Original Screenplay – Boyhood; Richard Linklater

Cinematography – Birdman; Emmanuel Lubezki

Costume Design - The Grand Budapest Hotel; Milena Canonero

Film Editing – Boyhood; Sandra Adair

Foreign Language Film – Leviathan, Russia

Makeup and Hairstyling - The Grand Budapest Hotel; Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier

Original Score - The Grand Budapest Hotel; Alexandre Desplat

Original Song - Lost Stars; Begin Again (Music and Lyric by Gregg Alexander and Danielle Brisebois)

Production Design - The Grand Budapest Hotel; (Production Design: Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock)

Sound Editing – Birdman; Martín Hernández and Aaron Glascock

Sound Mixing – Whiplash; Craig Mann, Ben Wilkins and Thomas Curley

Visual Effects – Interstellar; Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter and Scott Fisher

*I have not included some categories like short live action film, short documentary, short animation and a few others for a lack of knowledge about the nominees.

**The only prediction I am willing to make is Neil Patrick Harris making a '12 Years A Slave' joke about Linklater's Boyhood

Samba Magic on Screen

If you are a football fan, who has vivid memories of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, you most certainly remember the moment when a lofted shot from over the half line beat the out of position David Seaman and hit the net. Yes, that was Ronaldinho's doing. If that is too old a reference for you, you might recollect the time he knocked Chelsea out of the Champions' League in '04 - '05 with an unconventional toe-punt which stunned more than just the Chelsea defence. Yes, the legend of Ronaldinho, which when literally translated means Little Ronaldo, is a major chapter in football history. However, the Olympic medalist and World Cup winner, who has been a real-life hero for many, is now planning to become a reel-life hero.

In a film that is to be released in lieu of the next FIFA World Cup in 2014, Ronaldinho stars in and as R-10. The animated film co-produced by Bala Entertainment (from the group that owns Venky's and Blackburn Rovers), has the lead character inspired from Ronaldinho's on-field heroics. It will see the footballer showcase his skills in football to fight off aliens and save the world. "It is a dream come true for me. I am honored to be chosen as the athlete to play the part of the hero in the film and I hope it does well when it releases," he says while talking to the press on his recent visit to Pune. The film has brought the football legend to the country as the venture is half Indian. Ronaldinho, who is in India for the first time, has already fallen in love with it. "I love India. I want to see a lot more and I want to visit again and again. If possible, I would love to buy a house here and make it my second home," he says.

Ronaldinho, 32, who plays professional football at Atletico Mineiro in the Brazilian League, is in the twilight of his career. After spending some illustrious years in Europe playing for Barcelona and AC Milan, he is way past his prime and is now at a stage where he is closer to being a player you'd love to have in your history books, but not your team sheet. And like many footballers before him, who tried their hand at something other than football, Ronaldinho is trying his hand at films.

We have seen players like Vinnie Jones, the British footballer who made a name in Hollywood as the stereotype hooligan with a British accent, Eric Cantona, who made his film debut in Looking for Eric and we have seen a lot of footballers like Pele, Beckham, Zidane, Ronaldo and many more play cameos in films like Goal, Escape to Victory and the likes.

Some have succeeded and some have failed miserably. For Ronaldinho, 2014 will be the time he finds out his fate. "I would love to be a part of the team that plays the 2014 world cup and at the same time I am looking forward to the film doing well," he optimistically states.

But for a player whose only role in the team in 2014 can be that of a relic, the dream seems too far-fetched. However, if we know Ronaldinho for anything, it is the fact that he is an artiste and has a charm in whatever he does. But whether that means he can replicate the unscripted brilliance of sport onto the screen, only time can tell.

Published in DNA After Hrs (Pune) on December 30, 2012

Poking Politics

Having a sense of humor is one thing, but being satirical requires a higher level of existence. Good satire emerges from within the society but is produced only those who can rise above the situation and see it externally for what it is. A branch of humor that has caused many a revolution in history, satire, be it social or political can never be ignored. In India, political satire as an expression has been present in literature for a long time; however, the new media that emerged in the twentieth century have failed to explore that genre. 

The primary reason behind this lack of satire content, on radio or television or in films, is the normative shackles that bind our media which was largely controlled by the Government. Add to that a lack of self awareness and a will to express the social angst in this format. When we specifically look at cinema, recognized political or social satire films are few and far between.

Our illustrious history in the field which completes 100 years next year has seen fewer than ten films of that genre. Although there have been films that have made a comment on society, the main ingredient of satire – humor, has been missing. The National Film Archives of India has classified merely four films in this genre, three of which were made in the past decade. Starting with Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983), the list has Peepli Live, Tere Bin Laden and Phas Gaye Re Obama. In addition to that, the only few names that come to one’s mind are Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, Oh Darling! Yeh Hai India, The President is Coming and a few others. The number is too small for the time the medium has been with us.

Of all the films mentioned above, Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro gives the most representative sample of what a satirical film should be. Kundan Shah’s maiden project, which is still considered by many as his best work, when it was made, was way ahead of its time in terms of the content that was handled. It is story of two friends who, in an attempt to become successful, get tangled in a web of deceit, corruption and murder and its treatment is what makes it special. Perhaps made with the best ensemble cast ever, that included the likes of Nasseruddin Shah, Ravi Vaswani, Om Puri, Pankaj Kapoor, Satish Shah, Bhakti Barve and others; all of whom are renowned artistes today.

On its face, the film is a comedy. From start to finish, the events and scenarios that take place showcase the journey of the protagonists that are trapped deeper and deeper into the abyss of corruption, with an insane humor element. Certain scenes that have become legendary over time are the finale on the stage where all the characters act out a scene from the Mahabharat and also the sequence where Commissioner D’Mello’s dead body is set rolling on the streets of the city in his coffin. 

What makes us see the film as satire is the last scene. Where, failing to convince the police of their findings, Sudhir and Vinod (Ravi Vaswani and Naseeruddin Shah) are put behind bars with Hum honge kamyaab playing in the background. It suddenly renders a perspective through which one begins to look at the film differently in retrospective. Another major element which makes Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro different is that it was funded by the NFDC. A government body funding a film on political satire is pretty noteworthy. NFDC also funded Dibakar Banerji’s latest film Shanghai which was also a work of deep socio-political satire laced with dark humor.

When re-released in theatres on November 2, Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro was nearly three decades old but was welcome by the critics and audience alike with equal enthusiasm. Not because it is a classic, which it no doubt is, but because the content and the humor are relevant even today. That is the magic of good satire – it ages like wine, only getting better. Except for a few logistical details which change over a period of time, the film is fresh and appears contemporary and valid even in today’s setting. Our country is at a vital stage in terms of political and social upheavals and filmmakers and social commentators should make hay. Corruption, inflation, terrorism – problems are in abundance. Satire is just a tool to have a good laugh while suffering. Hum honge kamyaab ek din.

Tuka Mhane - Times Are Changing

In 1936, cinema in India was still in the nascent stages of flirting with sound, and as technology blossomed, the audience was bombarded with content based on spirituality and mythology. Regional cinema was moving towards a new trend at that time -- social issues. But, amidst all this, people in India went to cinema halls to witness an epic film. Prabhat Film Company produced what proved, in the coming years, a landmark film not only in the Marathi cine world, but also Indian cinema. 

Tukaram -- Maharashtra's beloved saint poet was always a legend. His poems and philosophies have ruled the minds and directed the hearts of people for centuries now. Prabhat's Sant Tukaram only made this belief stronger. It showcased the life of an iconic figure and showed him to be just like the rest of us. The devotion and emotions that the film captured moved the audience. Tukaram's faith and devotion was evident in every single frame. The film received critical acclaim worldwide, but its real success was to present people with a masterpiece featuring one of their most loved saints.

Cut to 2012. A fresh film, Tukaram, chronicling the life of the saint hits theatres. Directed by Chandrakant Kulkarni, Tukaram is a fresh attempt at capturing the essence of the philosophies of Tukoba. The overall treatment given to the film tends towards realism with no over-the-top melodrama. The characters are seen as common people and there is no mystique and aura created around the main character either. The film illustrates the life of the man behind the saint. It exhibits the journey of Tukaram -- from being a self-sufficient trader, to losing everything that he owned and loved, including people and property, to becoming a complete devotee who has found higher existence. His journey, from losing earthly possessions to finding something spiritual through prayer and poetry, makes him look like a rockstar.

Something has changed between 1936 and 2012 that has made us look differently at the same man -- a man we loved then and love now. Primarily, we can see the difference in the titles of the film itself. While the earlier film was called Sant Tukaram, the latter dropped the rank to make sure that it is the person behind the saint who gets revealed. The films are different in their treatment too. Vishnupant Govind Damle's version had mystique, awe and respect for Tukaram, while the recent film makes us identify with the man and love him, rather than just respect him.

It comes as a breath of fresh air and like a ray of hope that we have taken a step to look at our icons (social, political or spiritual) for the people that they were, rather than looking at them as flawless superhuman idols. It is safe to say that times are changing; and we are changing with them.

Published in DNA After Hrs (Pune) on June 16, 2012