Munnabhai Part 3

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THE UNUSUAL SUSPECTS: BOLLYWOOD PEOPLE 2009

THE UNUSUAL SUSPECTS: BOLLYWOOD PEOPLE 2009

1) Piyush Mishra

An inventive mujra with cheeky references to 9/11 and US occupation of Iraq, a contemporary version of Sahir’s Yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaaye to kya hai and a brilliant variant of Sarfaroshi ki tamanna--never ever in recent times has a lyricist reflected the spirit of the film, as did Piyush in Gulaal. No wonder director Anurag Kashyap called him the real hero of the film, one who brought the radical, revolutionary poetry back into the cinema.

2) Mohit Chauhan

Masakalli in Delhi 6, Tu ne jo na kaha in New York, Pehli baar mohabbat ki hai in Kaminey and Yeh dooriyan in Love Aaj Kal--the proof is in listening. Need we say anything more in praise of this dulcet voice?

3) Amit Trivedi: 18 sensational assorted tracks, from hard rock to Punjabi folk, in Dev D, and we are not talking about the mega-popular Emosanal Atyachar alone. Paayaliya, Nayan Tarse, Pardesi, Saali Khushi, Mahi Mennu, each bettered the other. Later Amit quietly delivered an exquisite single in Wake Up Sid, Goonjasa hai koi iktaara, that is still ringing in our ears. Rahman and Vishal make way for the rising genius.

4) Nawazuddin Siddiqui in New York

As the persecuted Muslim Zilgai in post 9/11 US, Nawazuddin was far more impactful in a miniscule role in New York than the trinity of Katrina, John and Neil. The most moving moment was his testimony on camera that brought alive the humiliation, mortification and frustration. Nawazuddin came up with yet another compelling performance in Firaaq as the vulnerable, defenceless auto driver whose house is razed down in riots.

5) Gauhar Khan in Rocket Singh Salesman of the Year

The VJ, model and small-time actress was a perfect fit for the role of the ballsy, ambitious, hard-nosed yet sensitive office secretary Koena. She felt real; it was as though she wasn’t acting at all. No wonder the five auditions she had to go through for bagging the role were worth it.

6) Uttam Haldar in Mohandas

Uttam Haldar, a Delhi stage actor, made a remarkably assured debut as small town media man Anil Yadav in Mohandas. As the friendly, helpful, resourceful but ambitious reporter he was totally believable. A journo had never felt so true to life in Bollywood before.

7) Rishi Kapoor

2009 was the year Ranbir got anointed as the next big thing of Bollywood, but Paa had it just as good. Rishi Kapoor was heart-breakingly superb as the old producer getting ignored by the younger generation of filmmakers in Luck By Chance. He was natural and relaxed as the dependable, graceful and dignified patriarchal figure and a keeper of the old-world values in Delhi 6. He again stole the show as the gracious patriarch in Love Aaj Kal and then rounded it off with a film where he played himself and whose title was his own pet name—Chintuji.

THE UNUSUAL SUSPECTS: FILMS OF 2009

THE UNUSUAL SUSPECTS: THE PICK OF FILMS OF 2009

1) Pasanga (Kids, Tamil)

A warm and delightful, unaffected and ingenuous tale about the world of 10-year-old Anbu--his family and friends, his dreams and joys, and his problems and worries as well. The debut directorial venture of Pandiraj, who started off as an office boy for well-known filmmaker Bagyaraj, Pasanga is about his own memories of growing up in the village of Virachilai. It was shot in and around Virachilai with most actors drawn from the local populace. A children’s film that reaches out to the adults as well.

Sub-titled DVDs out on Moser Baer in January 2010.

2) Gabhricha Paus (The Damned Rain, Marathi)

A whimsical, bittersweet film, on the personal plights and predicaments of the farmers in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, it examines the reasons that drive them to the extreme step of taking their own lives. It also shows how the tragic suicides impinge on the psyche of those alive and struggling for survival. But instead of being mawkish and mushy the film has an abiding sense of humour that makes the audience smile through their tears.

Available on Everest/Eros DVDs.

3) Harishchandrachi Factory (Harishchandra’s Factory, Marathi)

Harishchandrachi Factory is an affectionate tribute to an extraordinarily loveable and buoyant Dadasaheb Phalke, the founder of world’s largest film industry. It celebrates his passion, commitment and many eccentricities and his winsome, good-natured and supportive family. The film also skilfully weaves in the politics of the times. In the height of British rule Phalke’s making of Raja Harishchandra was not just good business but a political act, a vehicle for reflecting Indian culture and sensibility.

Releases in theatres on January 22, first in Maharashtra, then the rest of the country.

4) Paltadacho Munis (The Man Beyond The Bridge, Konkani)

An extraordinarily mature and poised film on loneliness and companionship, Paltadacho Munis portrays the unusual relationship between a lonely forest guard and a mentally deranged woman. His initial reaction to her is that of annoyance and exasperation but slowly he begins to derive comfort from her presence. As the tentative relationship grows he wants to have her as his companion even as the society questions the morality of their bonding. The film bagged the critics’ award at the Toronto International Film Festival 2009 and was the opening film at IFFI Goa 2009.

Releases in theatres early 2010.

5) Yeh Hai Malegaon Ka Superman (This Is Malegaon’s Superman, Hindi)

Faiza Khan’s documentary on the making of Malegaon’s wacky Superman spoof was delightful. However, the actual film, Shaikh Nasir’s Yeh Hai Malegaon Ka Superman, is no less riveting. Peppered with local idiom, images and jokes Malegaon’s skinny Superman story also delivers relevant, universal messages—on environmental degradation, the necessity of polio drops for kids and the harmful effects of chewing tobacco. More than anything else Malegaon’s grassroots cinema shows how, despite minimal budget and resources but with ingenuity and passion, 70mm dreams can truly fly.

Getting released by Bohra Bros and B2 Motion Pictures in April 2010.