President and Prime Minister congratulate Mira Nair for winning Golden Lion
The President, K R Narayanan, and the Prime Minister Atal
Behari Vajpayee, congratulated Mira Nair for winning the Golden Lion.
Mira Nair's vision of an elaborate wedding in India (Monsoon
Wedding), won top honours at the Venice Film Festival with the Golden
Lion award for best film. The President said : "Her achievement is a
pleasure for Indians and an honour for the Indian film industry". The
Prime Minister said : "The award proves that Indian cinema is second
to none in the world". "It's unbelievable", said an ecstatic director
Mira Nair summing up her feelings on her latest venture Monsoon
Wedding, a story detailing the drama of Punjabi marriage, winning the
prestigious Golden Lion award.
"It has not yet sunk in. It is a matter of great pride for the
country and for me and my entire team which made the film," said Nair
who is the first woman director to win the coveted honour.
Monsoon Wedding, which was a favorite at the Cannes Film Festival and
also Venice, was shot in a month using hand-held cameras and depicts a
colorful and musical wedding in India's Punjab state. "This one is
for India, my beloved India, my continuing inspiration," Nair told
the audience as she held the small Golden Lion statuette. She called the
film "nothing but a testament to life". The maker of films like
Salaam Bombay and Kamasutra, Nair said she got the idea of Monsoon
Wedding, along with its story writer Sabrina Dhawan, from sequences of
Punjabi wedding shown in various Hindi films. Nair said there had been
no movie made on Punjabi marriages although there were films based on
family drama. The director said their main idea behind Monsoon Wedding
was to reflect contemporary and modern India in the light of
globalisation taking place there. Nair said she had not expected any
big award at the festival. "I expected nothing from the movie. I just
wanted to make a small thing. I am so happy it has become big."
Top
TV Series Shows Culture Clash for Indians Abroad
A new TV drama by Vinta Nanda explores the strengths and pitfalls of Indian
culture exported abroad, throwing into stark relief the clash between
long-held traditions and liberal new surroundings.
Nanda -- who shot to fame nine years ago with "Tara" which showed
strong-willed, middle-class Indian women living life on their own terms --
spent a year researching the lives of overseas Indian families in London,
Paris and New York.
"If you're an Indian anywhere in the world you're never alone because your
family gets together to help whenever there is the smallest crisis," the
38-year-old writer-producer said.
But these strong family ties also create deep divides, particularly between
parents and children who refuse to blindly follow tradition, she told
Reuters in an interview.
The differences are highlighted in her new 52-week serial, "Sansaar"
(World), being shown on India's largest private TV network, Zee Television,
that focuses on the lives of a London-based Indian family with relatives
around the globe.
The one-hour show which has begun airing in India on Sundays is also being
broadcast on Zee channels in Britain, the United States, Australia, the
Middle East and South Africa.
During her research, she found that second-generation children often had
"cultural clashes" with parents struggling to instil Indian values in them.
One such confrontation in the serial shows the constant bickering between a
strict, conservative father in London and his rebellious teenage daughter
who disagrees with rules set by him.
"Second-generation youngsters having conflicts and cultural differences with
parents is very common," Nanda said.
In another episode, relatives from around the world gather in London for a
wedding and the dichotomies between the stubbornly traditional and the more
liberal become apparent in everything from attire to letting youngsters go
out on a drive.
The plot, that shifts from Europe to Australia to South Africa and North and
South America, centers on four brothers and their family dramas with each
episode unfolding a new tale.
Living with Indians abroad, Nanda saw another big problem was marriage with
parents preferring to arrange weddings while children wanted to marry for
love.
Unable to bear the pressure, some men capitulate, keeping their love affairs
or even marriages secret, and wed to satisfy their parents, leaving the
Indian brides to face the trauma.
The writer has had a string of successful TV hits in the past decade. Since
"Tara" her dramas have focused on themes as diverse as single parents
falling in love and organized crime.
Still, while strong family ties are a source of conflict, they also bring
huge benefits, Nanda says, recounting how she met relatives of a single,
wealthy art dealer in New York who was badly injured in a hit-and-run
accident.
Family members from India and London took turns to care for him for a year.
"This man's American doctor told me that in his entire medical career he'd
never seen a patient with such serious injuries recovering without
psychiatric help," she said.
"This is the strength of the Indian family," she said.
Top
Rahman, MJ create Ekam Satyam
MUMBAI: A R Rahman, who strides as a colossus in the world of film music
after
his debut in Roja, takes time off his hectic schedule to speak at length
about
his new single with Michael Jackson, his career, appreciation that he has
been
getting for his music in Lagaan and his future plans. Excerpts:
At the outset, is it true that you have worked with Michael Jackson on a
single
titled Ekam Satyam?
Yes. I have worked with Michael Jackson on a single. Titled Satyam, the
track
composed by me is part English and part Sanskrit. The Sanskrit portions
written
by A.R. Parthasarathy have been rendered by me while the English lyrics
written
by Kanika Myer Bharat have been rendered by Michael Jackson. It will be
released sometime during the end of this year, as a single, though I am
given
to understand that Jackson is considering including it in his forthcoming
album
Invincible.
How did the song happen in the first place?
To tell the truth, initially it was penned especially for the MJ and Friends
concert, which was held in Munich in June 1999. However, since it became
immensely popular among Jackson fans in the west, I am told it has been
decided
to release the song - the duet sung by Jackson and myself - as a single.
Did you expect that the music scored by you for Lagaan would click in such a
big way?
To tell you the truth, the music of Lagaan was a real surprise for me. I'd
not
hesitate to say that Lagaan is a path-breaking movie, which does not stick
to
one genre of film making. I'd give the whole credit for the success of the
music of Lagaan to Aamir Khan, who was simply fabulous as a producer. He
knew
what exactly he wanted and had the courage of conviction. I kept in mind the
script of Lagaan when I composed the music for the film. I am getting a good
feedback from people for my music in Lagaan.
Would you admit that your music had started sounding stereotyped some time
ago?
To some extent I plead guilty to the charge that you have mentioned. My
first
film Roja was very futuristic. After Roja I tended to be very repetitive and
stereotyped as a music director because most of my films had numbers which
were
dance-oriented. In the past three years, I was very keen on working on
period
music. I could get that opportunity with Lagaan. You see, it is difficult to
set your mind to Chennai audience and Mumbai audience. I do confess that I
was
struggling to come out of the rut in which I started finding myself. It was
very difficult to come out of the rut in which I had placed myself.
Why do you insist on working in only your studio in Chennai?
Chennai is my home. It is much more peaceful to work on one project there in
Chennai than take up 10 projects in Mumbai and not concentrate on them. A
creative person should crave for more and never be satisfied. If he is
satisfied then it will only mean the end for him.
Do you insist on singing in your voice in every film for which you compose
music?
I sang for the first time in my career in Roja. I had actually sung as a
dummy
voice. However, the first time I sang as a playback singer was for the film
Bombay.
Is it true that you had a complex about singing?
Yes. That's only because I think singing requires a totally different
energy. I
am more interested in composing for films than singing. I used to have a
complex about my voice and never even dared to sing for any film of mine
till I
happened to hear the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. I felt that if he could
create
wonders with his voice, I could also definitely try my hand at singing at
least
once in a way. Singing actually needs a lot of practice on your part. It is
not
easy.
Do you prefer to compose when you get the lyrics or do you ask your
lyricists
to write according to the tune you have?
Most of the times I have a tune ready with me when I set out to compose for
a
film. Sometimes I tell the director about a particular idea of mine.
Sometimes
they, too, come up with fresh and innovative ideas.
Don't you feel it is risky as a music director to dare to give breaks to raw
new singers?
To tell you the truth, initially I was so bored with the routine. I respect
all
the senior singers whether here in Mumbai or in Chennai, but at the same
time I
also feel that they were actually blocking all the new singers as far as
opportunities are concerned. Ninety per cent of the time it has worked when
I
have dared to introduce a new voice in the industry.
Why have you recorded very few songs with Lata Mangeshkar like in Dil Se?
Believe it or not, Lata Mangeshkar is so senior an artiste that I am
actually
very scared to go near her as a composer and ask her to sing a song.
The songs which you have composed for Nayak, the real hero seem to be
rehashes
of your earlier compositions. Why?
Out of the five songs that I have composed for Nayak, the real hero, three
are
based on my own songs from the Tamil original called Mudhalvan. Shankar, who
directed Nayak, the real hero, had also directed the original Tamil version
Mudhalvan. He felt that since the original score had become the rage down
south, we ought to use the same tunes when we decided to make the film in
Hindi.
Do you think music can even affect society?
Why not? A song like Choli ke peechay in Khalnayak affected everybody. A
popular song can definitely affect the society.
What are your future plans?
Ashoka, which is being directed by Santosh Sivan for producer Shahrukh Khan,
will be released soon. You will get to hear different music from me in
Ashoka,
too. In some of my other forthcoming movies, I am contemplating upon
composing
even ghazals.
What is your motto in life?
Search is more important than destination.
How has your music shaped in Nayak, the real hero?
My music will definitely compliment the film. Five songs of mine have been
picturised on the hero and the heroine in Nayak, the real hero, while one
single song has been picturised as a background song.
To what extent do you believe in God?
To a large extent. I am of the opinion that you do not gain anything by
putting
pressure on yourself. It is God's will and God takes all your pressures off
your mind as and when he wants to do so.
Top
Indian television turns match-maker
Two of India's premier television channels are to foray into reality TV this
winter by playing the role of matchmaker in front of live audiences.
State-broadcaster Doordarshan and private channel Sony TV have both
announced plans for live matrimony shows.
Doordarshan is basing its programme on an ancient Indian tradition -
Swayamvar - which allowed a woman to choose her groom from a clutch of
suitors.
Swayamvar was an elite practice and the suitors were quite often kings and
members of the aristocracy, usually competing with each other for the hand
of a princess.
Like the ancient practice, women on the television show will garland their
prospective groom to indicate their choice.
The weekly show is to be produced by a private production house, Taal India
Communication.
"The programme will be a spontaneous one and there will be no pre-written
dialogues," says Urmila Gupta, managing director of Taal India.
The families of the suitors as well as the woman will be present on the
show.
Though the wedding ceremony will not be conducted the bride and the groom
will make a formal vow to marry and exchange rings.
"It's not practical to have the wedding on the sets as marriage is a big
community event in India and we would like to give the couple enough time to
prepare for the big day," says Urmila Gupta.
But the wedding ceremony will be recorded and shown in a subsequent episode.
Fifty-two episodes of the show are planned and Ms Gupta is confident about
the show being a hit in a country where the custom of matches arranged by
parents is widespread.
Some critics have raised doubts about the credibility of the show saying
some reality TV shows in the West are known to have been fixed.
"How do we know the channel will not bring on the show couples who have
already decided to tie the knot?
"Also what will happen if people just come to the show for publicity and
decide against getting married later," says Seema Mahapatra, a senior
television executive.
But the organisers say they will guard against this and there was no way the
show would be pre-meditated.
"Of course the woman and the suitors on the show will not be complete
strangers. They would have seen other's resume. Maybe met each other before.
"But that is only natural. You do not really expect people to meet complete
strangers on a TV show and get married. But the choice will be made on the
show," Urmila Gupta said.
And she played down concerns that Indians were often too shy to express
their affections in public.
"We are a large country with all kinds of people. Surely we will get 52
girls who are adventurous and want some fun as well while deciding on their
life partner," she said.
A similar show is to be aired on Sony TV from the end of October.
The highlight of this show will its star anchor. One of India's best known
actress, Madhuri Dixit, is to host the show.
But Sony officials are not willing to disclose many details about their show
as yet.
According to Rekha Nigam of Sony TV, the concept of the show was totally
indigenous and reflected the "dreams and aspirations of real people".
Top
Star of India Period Film a Venture Capitalist Icon
An Indian film about a cricket match that pits British colonial oppressors
against 19th-century farmers has been driving audiences wild -- and has made
its star a hit with the country's venture capitalists.
Actor-producer Aamir Khan's ``Lagaan,'' or Land Tax, may be an unlikely
blockbuster but it has enthused the world's most prolific film industry,
eternally desperate for hits to pack theaters.
``It's a story which is universal in its appeal... It's a story about the
triumph of the human spirit. Of achieving the impossible,'' Khan, 36, told
Reuters in Bombay.
``There is humor, drama, emotion. You come out feeling good.''
The film flouts the usual boy-meets-girl, hero-fights-villain formula and
melodramatic conventions of ''Bollywood,'' as India's film industry.
And nearly half of its four hours is devoted to a cricket match -- a
strategy that might not work everywhere but has struck a chord in the
cricket-mad subcontinent.
``Lagaan'' has won praise from fans, critics and venture capitalists alike.
``He (Aamir Khan) is the venture capitalist of the year,'' Mahesh Murthy of
Passion Fund told a conference on Internet business in the southern city of
Bangalore, India's technology capital.
Khan's triumph has brought solace to Indian venture capitalists yearning for
success as they nurse their bruises from the dotcom bust and the global
technology slowdown.
At the same conference, Bharati Jacob of the Infinity Venture Fund called
``Lagaan'' a case study in path-breaking entrepreneurship.
``It was a high-risk strategy in 2001 to do a period film -- and in that a
four-hour film which has a cricket match built in,'' Jacob told Reuters in
Bangalore.
``How would you keep the audience in the theater for so long?'' she asked.
``It was flawless execution... And it gives investors the hundred-fold
return.''
No doubt the film's nationalist appeal helped. Its mainspring is the
colonial rulers' promise to waive the peasants' land tax if the cultivators
can beat them at a cricket match -- a game entirely alien to the farmers.
Yet against almost unbelievable odds, the home team wins.
The tale is proving popular with overseas audiences as well.
It won the audience choice award at Switzerland's Locarno film festival.
Trade magazine ``Screen'' reported that the film has been sold for viewing
in eight nations including Switzerland, Finland, Germany and Austria and is
set to be dubbed into Italian.
Box office-analyst Taran Adarsh classified ``Lagaan,'' which was released in
June, a ``super-duper'' hit. After 11 weeks, it still carried the
``super-hit'' tag.
The film cost an estimated 230 million rupees ($4.9 million) to make.
Besides its success at the box office, it has drawn praise for its
sophistication. And a lilting music score by whizkid composer Allah Rakha
Rahman has helped.
``The film rarely falters when it tells the tale of the underdogs rising to
take charge of their own lives, without the violence but through the spirit
of a game,'' analyst Arati Koppar wrote on the Internet site Indiatimes.com.
Bringing the tale to the screen was a story in itself, rich in the elements
that make for successful entrepreneurship.
Khan initially turned down the script, brought to him by director Ashutosh
Gowarikar, who persisted despite several rejections. The director stubbornly
refused producers who wanted script changes -- also unheard of in the film
world.
Finally, Khan not only agreed to act but also produced the movie, and backed
it to the hilt.
Khan hails from a family of movie-makers and is considered one of a rare
breed in Bollywood.
He takes on just one movie at a time and insists on reading the entire
script -- rare in an industry where details are often left to be worked out
at the last moment.
But as an actor his success ratio is far higher.
Khan is said to take a year to decide things and says a movie must be
meticulously planned from start to finish.
In the industry, he is seen as a perfectionist.
``If I say I'm a perfectionist, it implies I'm good at what I'm doing,'' he
said. ``I would like to say that I try my best and would go to any length to
get something right.''
But the very success of ``Lagaan'' could prove embarrassing.
It is expected to win several awards but Khan has in the past refused to
acknowledge private awards such as those by industry publications
``Filmfare'' and ``Screen,'' preferring to hold out for the government's
national awards -- should any come his way.
Khan's next movie will showcase his versatility. From the peasant he played
in ``Lagaan,'' he transforms himself into a swinging, carefree youngster who
sports a tufty beard resembling rock guitarist Frank Zappa.
The new film, ``Dil Chahta Hai,'' or The Heart Desires, was shot extensively
in Sydney, and drew critics' praise for slickly dealing with a chic, urban
theme.
The new film was profitable in Mumbai and parts of South India and has done
well in Delhi city. The box office may not have warmed to it in the same
way, but Khan has always been one to take risks and follow his heart.
``That's what I find exciting,'' he said. ``I'm doing something totally
opposite from what I did in terms of its flavor, style and kind of
character.''
Khan, despite his financial success, says he has no head for figures. His
wife, Reena Dutta, who takes care of his finances -- served as executive
producer for ``Lagaan.''
Top
Rani - Anil: Nothing cooking
Oh these rumours never cease and now the grapevine has it that the latest to lose their hearts out to each other are Rani Mukherjee and Anil Kapoor. However when both the parties were cornered, they denied having to do anything with each other. Anil Kapoor said, "I think I have already passed that age where I need to indulge in affairs. I prefer to channelise in work". While Rani said that Anil was senior actor and she had tremendous respect for him. "So an affair was out of question," she told the press.
Top
Ekta Kapoor: All for good luck
With most of the films flopping at the box-office, producers now sought solace in Feng-Sui to salvage their films. Take for instance producer Pammi Sandhu, she has approached noted(?) author Mohan Deep to Feng-sui her venture that stars cricketer Ajay Jadeja in the lead. And telly queen Ekta Kapoor tops the list with not only her office and house done up according to Fengshui but also her life. She sought a numerologist help to add luck to her brother Tusshar with an extra S. Then she advised producer Vashu Bhagnani to add an extra C in Kucch for Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai, which of course was successful. Consequently, Vashu's next film Rehna Hai Terre Dil Mein has an extra R in the Terre. And not to forget in Ekta Kapoor's home production David Dhawan's film with Govinda and Sushmita, there's an added Kyonki as they want the film to do well. The film is called Kyonki Main Juth Nahin Bolta. So basically luck is needed in tons in the industry and people are ready to do anything for it.
Top
|