Dil Se

Dil Se.. (1998)

Written and Directed by: Mani Ratnam
Starring: SRK, Manisha Koirala, Preity Zinta
National Award for Best Cinematography for Santosh Sivan.

The aesthetics of the film is so visually striking, and the imagery of the film is so strong, that it stands out from anything else I've seen. It is epic and intimate at the same time. It is as much as how they capture what they capture, but it is also choosing what to capture and what to avoid. For example, in the railway station scene in the beginning, the way they show the rain in the background, and the wind blowing... those elements in the background add up everything to what's happening in forefront in the scene. I read that the film plays on the seven stages of love that are defined in the ancient Arabic literature. Attraction. Infatuation. Love. Reverence. Worship. Obsession. Death. It said that Sharukh's character goes through all these stages as he falls in love with Meghna. 

I couldn't see find reverence and worship through my viewing of the film, also perhaps because a lot of notions about love have changed now. Reverence and worship now, it's more than being intense, it's about giving someone their own space and respecting their boundaries, and backing off. For me, he was too intense and wanted her so badly, and I'm sure there was reverence and worship on his side. Having said that, the acts that you do when you are madly in love, you lose objectivity and it's only a third person who can tell you what's okay and what's not. So I'm not really sure as to how to look at their relationship. I love how the setting of the film adds more intensity to the love story, it adds stakes, and it's also interesting to see love amidst a land of war and oppression.

Wall.E

Wall.E (2008)

Co-written and Directed by: Andrew Stanton
A PIXAR film. Streaming on Disney+Hotstar
Won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.

The best part about this film is the visual aspect of it. It almost operates like a silent film, dialogue is written only wherever it is extremely important and since there is not much dialogue, we have to pick everything through the visuals. Sometimes, it is a bit of work but as Martin Scorsese says, visual literacy is important. I re-watched the first 12 minutes of Up, and even in that montage sequence, there is no dialogue but that hits harder because the contrast in the visuals is right on our faces. That is achieved here in the look and design of Wall.E and Eve, one is rustic, brown-ish and the other is plush white. The film initially explores the rut, the monotony, and the sense of languish, embodying the broken-ness of the modern world. 

It's beautiful how PIXAR films seamlessly manage to tell a lot of things within one film, and you can find something or the other that you can relate to. Amidst all the action, the sci-fi setting in the apocalyptic world, the film is a beautiful love story. Because when Wall.E meets Eve, that is exactly what he's probably been looking for all his life. Human connection. Or maybe robot connection? Anyway, so when you're so broken as a person, and when you finally find someone who you can connect with - it's an intense outburst of feelings. Because now, this one person can put you from extreme despair, extreme hopeless to extreme joy and a feeling of purpose just like that in a snap. You lose control over yourself, and surrender to them in every possible way. And from there, if love happens... it's beautiful.

Kapurush

Kapurush (1965)

Written for the Screen and Directed by: Satyajit Ray
Starring: Soumitra Chatterjee, Madhabi Mukherjee

Streaming on Mubi.

One hindrance to watch old films is that I can't relate to the way the people talk and behave. But Satyajit Ray's films are not like that. You can relate to the way people talk, behave and react even today. Not only these - you can even relate to what they're going through. A writer looking for material through first hand experiences is a bit of a niche idea even today. I can relate to a lot of conversations he's written about half a decade ago, and perhaps that's what is timelessness. It's about Roy, a screenwriter who is driving around in the country for material. His car breaks down, and a tea planter offers him shelter, but Roy is shocked to see that the tea planter's wife is his ex-girlfriend. Well, ex-girlfriend is quite a modern term and something like this wouldn't have even happened in today's world of social media.

I love the way Ray takes a premise in a short time span, and uses flashback as a narrative to explore more of the characters. It's like he peels more layers of character through flashback. I remember Nayak also having a similar structure. Here too, we see Roy reminiscing scenes from back then when they were together, about how he let her go and more. Now, I understand why Satyajit Ray was a festival favorite and not as much of a popular filmmaker - perhaps because of his stories being centered more around artists, broken souls, and these stories generally don't make for popular stuff. But yeah, these stories give you terrific scope for personal expression. 

Mandela

Mandela (2021)

Written and Directed by: Madonne Ashwin

Starring: Yogi Babu

Streaming on Netflix.

It's a terrific premise, the film psyched me up at an idea level. There are two political parties in a village competing in the local elections. They're both desperate to win, and the single deciding vote comes to a small-time barber. This premise by itself does a lot of things. One, it gives an opportunity to an underdog and it has scope to explore his character. Two, life doesn't get better with this opportunity, it in reverse creates a havoc of conflicts because of this. Three, the setting leaves scope for a lot of political and social satire. All of these things come together through this one idea, and that's the sign of a terrific premise - which opens up a lot of possibilities for what a film could be. 

The best part is that the film goes in every direction the premise opens. It starts with Mandela being an underdog, we see him from the time he gets his name, and we see him getting opportunity, him misusing it, him making mistakes and getting thrashed by people, learning a lesson and finally redeeming himself. A satisfying character arc in itself. Apart from this, the film has a lot of satire throughout. This doesn't feel like an independent film for one bit, it makes you go through every emotion and leaves you satisfied by the ending. The high moments in the film, like the ending... are still within the tone of the film. This film just proves that for some films, a good script is all that matters.

Mimi Analysis

Mimi (2021)

Directed by: Laxman Utekar

Starring: Kriti Sanon, Pankaj Tripathi

Streaming on Netflix. Spoilers Ahead.

It's a beautiful coming-of-age story. Starts off with an innocent aspiring actress, who reluctantly agrees to be a surrogate mother. Later, when a test says that the baby will be disabled, they just leave the baby and go away. This whole thing feels like a person convincing and even almost forcing another person to get into a relationship, getting deep and intense into it, and leaving them there alone. And they're scarred for life. She was a happy go lucky woman initially, see what she's become now. Life has hit her so hard. And she somehow accepts it thinking it's her destiny, because she doesn't have the heart to kill the baby, and then after 4 years when she has completely come to terms with her motherhood, they again come back and want the baby now. I wish the ending wasn't happy, because reality is harsh and if this happened in real, the couple would've taken the baby away.

For me, the parts didn't work in the film where it was trying to be funny. The goof up comedy where Mimi says that Pankaj Tripathi is the father. Those parts felt a little forced to me. The film is solid whenever it's drama. Kriti Sanon is really good. Pankaj Tripathi is terrific, in the scene where he begs them to take the baby, and later warns them that they're not getting the baby back. You need someone like that in life, who will have your back no matter what. It's quite rare. It's such a beautiful film, I'm just thinking about how a small decision can turn your life upside down and you can't even imagine where you'd end up.

The Big Sick Analysis

The Big Sick (2017)

Directed by: Michael Showalter

Written by: Emily V. Gordon, Kumail Nanjiani

Premiered at Sundance. Nominated for Best Original Screenplay at Oscars.

It's a well written, and shot rom-com. Captures the modern world quite well. Struggling youngsters with aspirations. Not wanting to get into anything serious because "there's no time". Dealing with the vast differences between the ideologies of our parents and ourselves, more so with Indians. The setup and the way they fall in love, is interesting. Then the film goes into a different territory, it turns bittersweet because the girl gets ill. The guy goes through a series of events, and he ends up changing as a person. And as she wakes up, he expects things would be rosy thereafter. But she asks to go away. He's heartbroken. But later, she tells him that just because he's had this experience, he can't expect her to respond the same way he did. She has to feel that he has changed and get used to that idea slowly.

I think one of the biggest problems in the modern world is lack of patience. We get so hasty and react impulsively, more so because we can say what we want to say in a second. We can do whatever we want to. I think these are all consequences of too much of free will. If relationships could be held for years where you just talk weekly once for about 10 minutes, which used to happen earlier, which I'm sure it happens now too... why do we fall out just because we've had one small fight? I think stoicism is the answer to most of the problems pertaining to relationships. The ending though felt a bit contrived, it worked for me because it was a nice pay off to an initial setup.

Newness Analysis

Newness (2017)

Directed by: Drake Doremus

Written by: Ben York Jones

Streaming on Netflix.

It's a beautiful film about relationships in the modern world. More about how broken we all are. About how we don't know what we want, and are always looking for more, which leads to no good. It's about a couple who meet on a dating app, who meet just for fun and no strings attached. It's about how they fall in love, and after a while when they get bored of each other, they try being open and it gets messy when one of them wants it to be closed. Until the both of them finally decide that they want to get serious. It's in the regular love story space, but the tone of the film is so good. The way it's shot is very interesting. Apart from feeling intimate, it also feels a bit dark and gloomy - perhaps to capture the brokenness in us.

Drake Doremus is known for his improvised shooting style, where he keeps the cameras rolling and let's the actors move around the space and perform however they want. That's how he shot Like Crazy (2011), not sure about this film because this is written by someone else. The beats of this film properly fit into the film for it to explore their character journeys. The girl in the first meet tells that she gets bored of things quickly, and it's essentially her coming-of-age story.

Blue Jay Analysis

Blue Jay (2016)

Directed by: Alex Lehmann

Written by: Mark Duplass

Starring: Mark Duplass, Sarah Paulson

It's a Mumblecore film. Films shot in low budget, with improvised style of acting. They shot this film in 7 days. It's only 2 actors, a few locations and it has a very nice idea to latch on to. Two highschool sweethearts meet after 20 years and talk about their lives, and discover some shared regrets. Films like these are best made in this style, and it feels like more budget would actually ruin the story and the tone. Most of the film is shot by rolling the camera and capturing moments rather than trying to crafting them. It's almost like a play, but with all the stylistic elements of cinema - mostly editing. 

This film has a very bittersweet element to it even before it gets to the ending. The characters seem to be totally cool about it and we feel heavy for them. They go through their old room, their old wardrobes and joke around about stuff. The film doesn't directly explore the pain, it just keeps it in a very undercurrent way. It's just the ending 20 mins where it suddenly gets very intense. The idea of how two people have lost everything because of one choice, it's heartbreaking. Both of them haven't felt anything better ever since. About the visual language, I think since there is less information to capture, when we watch something in black and white, our focus is only on the characters and the story. Malcolm and Marie. Frances Ha. Some of my favorites in the Mumblecore style are Vanilla, Frances Ha, Hong Sangsoo's films, and this film too. 

Songs My Brothers Taught Me Analysis

Songs My Brothers Taught Me (2015)

Written and Directed by: Chloe Zhao

Premiered at Sundance Film Festival 2015

Nominated for Camera d'Or at Cannes.

I was very excited to see that the film has a similar visual grammar to Nomadland. It's shot in a way that feels so real, intimate and improvised. It's like a moment happened and they just pointed the camera at it. Chloe Zhao says that to make something feel like this, it actually takes thrice the amount of preparation. It seems counter intuitive but preparation is what leads them to able to shoot something like that apparently. Another huge part of the visual language of the film is the non continuity editing. This makes it feel like the film in whole creates a feeling rather than it being a compilation of scenes. Except for conversations, almost every cut in the film is non continuous and it subconsciously makes us used to that visual grammar.

It's a beautiful, bittersweet coming of age story. The setting is a bit harsh, but the way they shoot it is beautiful. The way they capture landscapes, B-roll, small moments, the usage of music, etc. Chloe Zhao has a particular liking for wind. Wind is pretty dramatic, and she captures characters just looking at nothing and just standing in the wind. I remember the terrific beach scene in Nomadland. With such a strong visual language, and a directorial voice, I'm curious to see what she does in her next film with MCU.

Nobody Analysis

Nobody (2021)

Directed by: Ilya Naishuller 
Written by: Derek Kolstad
Starring: Bob Odenkirk

It's a fun, action flick. It's extremely stylish. The initial montage of the mundane life had a beautiful sense of musicality to it. The story is pretty primal - it's mostly survival. I'm curious to read the screenplay and see how the action sequences are written. The cinematography - there is a lot of grain and texture in the footage and it adds character to the world. Especially the interiors at nights, whether it's the very first scene in the investigation room or the scene where the invaders come in the house and try to steal something. Although I enjoyed the movie for its unabashed sense of style throughout, I would've liked it more if the action was a little grounded and there was more exploration of character. When the action is too good, and when the action scenes are so brutal or energy consuming to watch - they sometimes overpower the other scenes in the film because everything else feels less dramatic compared to it. And I think that's the reason Tarantino ends his films with an action sequence like a big blast.

The way they shot action, it's brutal and the unpredictability of the brutality makes it funny too at the same time. It elicits a reaction 'wohohoho' in us. The scene where he throws a chair at the face of the guy on the hospital bed was so funny. The usage of music throughout the film is interesting. Bob Odenkirk is just terrific. He doesn't look jacked or extremely big or anything, and yet he is so convincing as a guy who'd bash you black and blue. The way he just lashes at people, it feels like a batsman going for a sixer on front foot.

Kuruthi Analysis

Kuruthi (2021)

Directed by: Manu Warrier

Written by: Anish Pallyal

Starring: Prithviraj Sukumaran, Roshan Mathew
Streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

One location. Good writing. Character consistency. Conflicts. Minimalist and mutli-layered storytelling. Brilliant filmmaking and acting. These all have become the norms of Malayalam cinema now, that I'm not even surprised now. It's world class filmmaking with such low budgets, it goes to prove that it's a matter of taste and aesthetics more than anything else. Kuruthi is a simple home invasion thriller, it's actually very similar to the idea of Purge - it's not exactly themselves they are trying to protect, but someone else in their house that they want to. It's the characters, their motivations and the moral dilemmas that make it a completely different film. Here, the film often puts the characters on a spot and asks them to make choices, and these choices define who they are and where they stand.

Apart from the morality of religion, and to what extent you'd stick to the faith, the film also beautifully talks about war, revenge and the nature of hatred in humans. It's perhaps more on the masculine nature of humans, about how strong a feeling hatred could be. Sometimes, it's even stronger than love. It passes through generations, and sometimes rage gets stronger with time - revenge is a dish best served cold. In the modern world, we don't get to experience and act on our rages that often - so when we can feel rage through art - it's good. The scenes where the old man takes charge were very well shot and put together. 

Nayak - The Hero Analysis

Nayak: The Hero (1966)

Written, Directed and Composed by: Satyajit Ray
Cinematography: Subrata Mitra
Starring: Uttam Kumar, Sharmila Tagore
National Award for Best Bengali Feature, Nominated for Golden Bear at Berlin.

It's a very interesting premise - a film star takes a train to take his national award and he looks back at his life and career as he meets different people in the train. I like such premises, where they don't define and specif the film so clearly - they just lead us to somewhere and different filmmakers could make different films out of the same premise. The timespan of the film is just a day, essentially the train journey but we could explore a lifetime through flashbacks. The film talks about the nature of the movie business, and how it is a little away from "art" in the right sense of the word, and how it changes people so much. It also talks about things like what fame and money can do to a person, you feel like they give you more freedom, more choices, more time, but they actually end up taking away all of that from you. After a point, it is too much to lose. 

The film beautifully explores the broken nature of the man, and how he seems so flamboyant on the outside, but inside he is a vulnerable, lonely man. Who would even understand that part of him? No one would even believe it unless you actually sit and listen to him. The film has a very sensitive outlook towards him, irrespective of his fuck ups, and irrespective of him having "everything". The journalist tearing up the interview in the ending is a beautiful way of showing their relationship, and how it evolved over time from a bit of contempt to some empathy and understanding. I love such films where even though there is not much happening, we explore every layer of a character and try to understand life and humanity in a deeper way.

Laila Majnu Analysis

Laila Majnu (2018)

Directed by: Sajid Ali

Written by: Imtiaz Ali, Sajid Ali 

Starring: Tripti Dimri, Avinash Tiwary

Spoilers Ahead

The film opens with a statement about destiny, that our stories are already written and that there's nothing we can do about it. I'm someone who chooses to believes in free will. But the same line is used in the film at a point, in the context of love and that gives a totally different meaning to it. The cute meet and the initial love story feels a bit phony, but I feel that for us to feel the stakes later irrespective of how phony it is, we have to watch the cute meet and all the kuchi kuchi romance. At least for those shots of him which flashes to Laila before she kills herself. Even in 3, that one shot of the bike ride during the cute meet just before Dhanush kills himself... it's heartbreaking. 

The film talks about longing, waiting, unrequited love. He waits, waits and waits for 4 years... and finally when they meet, they almost collapse. Such moments are beautifully captured. The behavior of the actors in these moments felt so intense. You can't capture something like this unless you've felt these things yourself, or else these feelings seem so silly. Later when she asks him to wait for a month, every second starts feeling so excruciatingly painful and after a moment, he flips. He's like, fuck it. I'm not going to wait anymore. I can feel what I want to feel. And he goes crazy. Well, there is a meaning to his craziness and for him, he knows why he is behaving like that, and the scene where he disturbs the prayer also conveys the same - but for me, I kind of lost him a little bit as I was looking at him go completely insane. Then, the thought that occurred to me was, I've seen a lot of people like this on the roads in my entire lifetime - I wonder what their stories would have been.

Raja Raja Chora Analysis

Raja Raja Chora (2021)

Written and Directed by: Hasith Goli
Starring: Sree Vishnu, Megha Akash

It's a fun film. It had the residue of Broche and Jersey here and there in terms of the tone and texture. The best part of the film is confrontations. The way people face the truth. That is the best part. It starts off with Sree Vishnu seeing Megha Akash in the store and them having a double confrontation with each other. And of course, the interval. And even in the second half, there is a lot of confrontation happening. That's how both drama and humor is generated in the film. Whether it's the guy who confronts the cop about why he was having an affair with this wife. Megha Akash getting to know that Sree Vishnu's wife is alive, and him having to face his son. The cop's mother facing the truth that his son is not what she thinks. The double confrontation of Sree Vishnu and Ravi Babu in his house when Megha Akash calls him home. If this was a show, there would've been tons of scope for cliffhangers all over. What happens post the confrontation is something normal and expected, and yet the anticipation that these confrontations build up - it's terrific. 

These moments work on paper at a script level. They don't need a background score, or terrific editing for these moments to work. These are the best kind of moments. When they work on paper, everything else elevates them. Sree Vishnu has found a very consistent tone to his performance that even something small he says, is eliciting humor. For example, Megha Akash says, 'let's leave' and Sree Vishnu too says 'yeah, let's leave' and it's such a small, instinctive that but the theatre was erupting with laughter. Vivek Sagar adds a beautiful layer to the film with his music, and so does the editor. I enjoyed the film, it just took me about half an hour to get invested in the film. So perhaps the opening wasn't as gripping to me.

SR Kalyanamandapam Analysis

SR Kalyanamandapam (2021)

Directed and Edited by: Sridhar Gade
Written by and Starring: Kiran Abbavaram

The film excited me on an idea level. A wedding hall, built by the hero's grandfather loses its reputation because of his alcoholic father. Now, his mother requests him to take care of the wedding hall and revive it and save the family. The hero along with his friends, goes on a journey to revive the wedding hall. It's equivalent to a bunch of friends starting up and looking for investors - just that the milieu is more grounded and familiar. Apart from this core idea, there is another beautiful layer to the story which is the fractured relationship between the father and the son. There is good conflict, characters are authentic, and it's interesting. Everything seems organic. But the problem is when the film doesn't stick to these ideas for long. It goes into different territories. The director being the editor, there is a lot of style tried in the edit - it works in some parts, but sometimes it felt overdone. But I'm sucker for style, so I'd actually not mind someone trying style.

The film disappointed me because I was excited with the idea, and the film worked whenever it stuck to the idea - the portions where they go from houses to houses looking for clients, them doing their first wedding - it works. But soon, it goes into the potboiler format. Also, the love track didn't work one bit for me. And the politics of the love story were weird even for someone like me who says that films need not be PC. The first scene of him being drunk and bashing a few goons - it falls into the masculine zone - it would've worked if the core idea of the film was masculine too, like if it dealt with such themes. The angle of respecting a person irrespective of the money they make is good - but again, it's more like a subplot without any link to the core idea. It felt like there is good stuff sprinkled here and there but overall, it didn't work that well for me.

The Human Voice Analysis

The Human Voice (2020)

Written and Directed by: Pedro Almodovar
Based on a play by Jean Cocteau
Starring: Tilda Swinton
Streaming on Mubi.

It's a classic Almodovar film. Strong, bold colors all over. Pain and Glory had a lot of white and blue. This has a lot of red, and green. Solid mise-en-scene. Intense voice over. Story of an artist. Stories about complex emotions. Here, the story is about a woman who just gets to know that her partner is leaving her for good, without even a proper goodbye. He ends it over a phone call, and she gets mad about. She gets upset. She expresses her urge to kill him with an axe. She even swings the axe at a couple of his shirts. And she also tells him about the kind of mental imbalance and the void that has been created in her because of what he did to her. Abandonment can be horrifying. So is isolation and loneliness. Especially when it is someone who you trust. She decides to break free from it, and liberate herself. 

Tilda Swinton is terrific in portraying that pain. The mental agony that she goes through, comes through the performance. It all pents up and she ends up burning the whole thing at the end to feel better. It's interesting as to how for some reason, people always get attracted to the wrong kind of people. For the person she is, she can choose to be with someone who actually values her. But she makes herself vulnerable by trusting this idiot. And it works both ways, of course. 

The Big Short Analysis

The Big Short (2015)

Directed by: Adam McKay

Written by: Adam McKay and Charles Randolph

Streaming on Netflix.

The film is about the financial crisis in 2007-08, and how it was triggered because of the housing bubble. The interesting aspect is that the film explores various characters within this setting. The way the film is shot, it reminded me of Uncut Gems - it's anxiety inducing in a way. Especially the scene where as they're talking, the market keeps going down and they keep getting updates in their phones. I've experienced that in real, and the feeling that the film generates is pretty close. It's created mostly by them shooting in close ups and the way the camera shakes. The visual language is so out there. The breaking of fourth wall is done so creatively. Them getting real life celebrities to explain complex concepts. And them addressing cinematic liberties they've taken mid scene. Lot of this kind of stuff was interesting.

The editing is also very stylish. In a lot of scenes, we sees them juxtaposing quotes, images and we see some frames getting repeated just like it's a music video. All these are not done just for the sake of it, it adds a sense of movement and flow to the movie. It creates a different visual experience. Vaazhl also had a similar effect on me, where the entire film had a kind of editing which changed the whole experience for me. The way Amelie does with the camera movements. I'm a sucker for films like these which use the craft of filmmaking so well. Having said that, this film talks about the financial crisis and it takes a standpoint but also presents all sides and makes us understand how people in the banks actually think.

Shershaah Analysis

Shershaah (2021)

Directed by: Vishnuvardhan

Starring: Sidharth Malhotra, Kiara Advani

Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video.

It's a biopic of Captain Vikram Batra. It has a very similar structure to Gunjan Saxena. It felt predictable in parts, but the film works decently because it is done well. The writing and the acting stays true to character. The way his character is built right from his childhood, I think army officers are the epitome of masculinity and the modern world somehow associates the words 'toxic' and 'masculinity' so close to each other. But this film proudly celebrates the masculinity - whether it's strength, bravery, hard work, etc. Sidharth Malhotra plays Vikram Batra with such ease, along with all the qualities he'd have as an officer, he also adds a bit of grace and charm which makes it fun to see him.

The film is shot very well, especially the action sequences. The camera movements, the VFX, the sound design, the art... all of them were so good that the experience was immersive. The track with Kiara Advani was well done too, but I wish it explored a bit more on how as a partner of an army officer, you get lonely and how life is tough like that. Then perhaps the ending scene would've hit more. Biopics are nice because they're also coming-of-age stories. They basically show us life happen to a character.

Modern Love S1 Analysis

Modern Love S1 (2019)

Created by: John Carney

Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video.

An anthology of different love stories set in New York City. The tone of the show is beautiful visually and bittersweet emotionally - just like what Pixar does. Some of the stories are centered around conflicts where you the characters can't do anything about it. Anne Hathaway can't do anything about her condition. She's trying. The old lady in the last episode, what can she do. The older guy and the young girl in Ep-6, what can they do. Somehow these stories are centered around things which we can't control. Life and death. Making someone like you. Fate. These are beyond your control. And that's what makes it heartbreaking. The bittersweet part comes out of the aspect that they can choose to move on and let life happen to them. The setting of New York comes through very well, by the way they shot it. It also comes through the locations it is set in; houses, cafes, grocery store and such life affirming locations.

My favourite is Ep-6, and Ep-8. I wish they showed us more the story in Ep-8 instead of calling back to the earlier episodes. For some reason, I found Ep-8 so endearing. It felt like something impossible was happening, to the both of them. It's quite rare to find someone at that age and be together. And Ep-6, the way it's shot is entirely from the girl's perspective which is why when the guy kisses her, we go WTF. But do a rewatch of the episode from the guy's perspective, it's a totally different reading of the same episode. Ep-6 has lots of scope for discussion about it.

Never Have I Ever Analysis

Never Have I Ever S1 (2020)

Created by: Mindy Kaling, Lang Fisher
Starring: Maitreyi Ramakrishnan
Streaming on Netflix.

It's interesting how life is for an average Indian. The expectations of your parents are at one extreme, and the expectations of Instagram is at the other extreme. You are somewhere at the middle, not living up to either of them. 

It's a coming-of-age show set in high school. It's about an Indian-American teenager dealing with life, high school and also the recent death of her father. It talks about the feeling of being left out, being a misfit, the feeling of not being good enough, a question on our self worth and more such things. The striking aspect of this show is the style of it. There is a very interesting idea, where the voice over is done by John McEnroe, a tennis player who has nothing to do with the show. Breaking the fourth wall is becoming a cliche these days unless the actor is really good, so this is an interesting way they did it in this show. Although Devi is not written to play by any stereotypes, the way her mother talks felt a bit unreal and like it was written to cater to the stereotypes. Some of the exaggeration could be for the jokes to work, I get it. I'm not vouching for political correctness here, lol. 

The track with Paxton is beautifully written - the part where she ditches her friends and goes to Paxton - it's kind of sad the difference in the level of efforts people put in when they are actually into someone and when they aren't. You can clearly see through. The subplot with Devi and her mother's relationship is very well written. Devi's mother was portrayed mostly from Devi's perspective, I wish we saw a bit of why she is so rude to Devi, so that the ending would've been more organic and we could've empathized with her mother too a bit more. 

The Conjuring (2013)

The Conjuring (2013)

Directed by: James Wan
Written by: Chad Hayes, Carey W. Hayes
Streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

I don't even know why I'm watching these horror films. I don't enjoy the genre in general, but for some reason, the idea of watching a horror film seems fun. I enjoy horror which is not supernatural, which would probably be like 5% of the horror films made. With the other 95, there is hope that somewhere a film would've done something different and most of the times, 'nope'. Just like every other horror flick, we see a haunted house and a family is amazed by the magic tricks that the spirits perform. I'm curious as to why these spirits perform magic tricks. Even my first short film was horror, and these are the tropes I resorted to as well - a chair gets pulled, the switches get turned off by themselves, and boom, horror! The only part I enjoyed in the film is the angle of how they are experts in paranormal activities, and have experience dealing with them, and how she has suffered because of this, and how she is trying to heal from it. I liked how they wrote the couple.

I know I'm probably shitting on a movie which made like $300mn, which is exactly what I'm trying to figure. As to what kind of gratification this flick gave. I understand that there is terrific amount of tension built and released, which gives a certain sense of high. But apart from that on an emotional level, on a cerebral level - I couldn't feel anything. I'm always excited by the idea of a horror film, you take any setting, and put a horror film there - it sounds interesting to me. But for some reason, I'm almost never satisfied when it's supernatural horror. Hereditary would be an exception, but even there the most high I got was the accident scene - which is again not supernatural horror. Apart from these, I enjoy survival horror, slasher films, the ones where there is some social commentary, and more. 

The Queen's Gambit

The Queen's Gambit (2020)

Written, Directed and Co-created by: Scott Frank
Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy
Streaming on Netflix.

This is the story of the obsessed artist. How does it feel when you dedicate your entire life to one thing? Your mind is thinking about it all the time. Irrespective of what you are doing. It's likely that if you stay like that for a couple of years, you'd become good at it. But what about your life apart from that? That is the question these stories have dealt with - films like Whiplash, Black Swan, Shankarabharanam, The Disciple, and Queen's Gambit too falls in the same umbrella. All these stories have told that it's quite tough and lonely. Because people think you are mad, and would go nowhere, until you are successful. Queen's Gambit is at least not as heartbreaking as The Disciple - because she is good at it and gets a lot of acclaim for her game. The Disciple is the story of a guy who no matter how hard he tries, and how much of his life he dedicates, he just can't achieve excellence. He never sees the moment of excellence that the artists achieve in the endings of Whiplash, Black Swan and Queen's Gambit. This moment is what these artists have been longing for all their lives. And when it comes, it is gratifying. 

Chess is not a very visual game, for it being a cinematic tool. But they do her taking the tranquilizers and imagining a game on the roof, which they even use in the ending - which is a good pay off. Queen's Gambit is also about dealing with success and money at a young age - they ask a beautiful existential question - if you become the world's best chess player at 21, what will you do the rest of your life? This question makes total sense, because the pursuit of being in something is what keeps us look forward to something in life, which is also why perhaps people who have everything in life are not necessarily happy. You need to have problems in life, which you have to keep solving for life to keep going.

Geeli Pucchi Analysis

Geeli Pucchi from Ajeeb Daastaans 

Written and Directed by: Neeraj Ghaywan
Starring: Konkana Sen Sharma, Aditi Rao Hydari
Streaming on Netflix. 

Every minute of Geeli Pucchi is heartbreaking. It keeps on adding up as the story keeps progressing. It starts with the plight of Bharti, about her not getting a job she deserves because of discrimination, and her falling in love with the exact person who has taken her place. Can it get worse? Yes, it can. People treat Bharti like shit, and Priya lets it happen. She is a bit naive because she doesn't face it, and perhaps also because she too can't do much about it. The scene where Bharti is standing outside as they cut cake for Priya's birthday, is a heartbreaking visual. When you think it can't get worse, it does. They call her inside and ask her cut it into pieces and distribute it to everyone. 

Bharti and Priya fall in love. Priya can't love her husband no matter how hard she tries, there is no chemistry between them. They live at a place where they don't even have privacy. Bharti tells her to go have a baby because then when people will respect you, and because she knows how it feels to be treated like shit. Priya moves on from Bharti. Can it get worse? Yes, it does. Bharti helps Priya throughout her pregnancy for her to have a baby. Being there for someone while going through a heartbreak is not easy. And it feels like for the kind of pain Bharti has been going through all her life, she is probably used to being in this place. It's almost like the knife gets in deeper and deeper in us as the film keeps progressing. 

Guitar Kambi Mele Nindru Analysis

Guitar Kambi Mele Nindru

Written and Directed by: Gautham Vasudev Menon
Starring: Suriya, Prayaga Martin
Cinematography: PC Sreeram
Streaming on Netflix - S1:E9 of Navarasa.

Gautham Menon is back at his element. Romance. Music. Love at first sight. Doing insane things for someone, he flies to another country in Vaaranam Aayiram, and here he stays back. The film has a beautiful sense of rush. It is extremely stylish and dynamic, because of Suriya's energy and especially because of the way it's shot. The camera movements, the lighting, the usage of background score - the way music kicks in between scenes - all of it makes us feel the rush and the adrenaline. It's a beautiful feeling because this adrenaline is created out of a sense of calm and order - the music isn't chest thumping EDM, the scene aren't high drama, it is about love - and it's just the way he presents that creates the rush.

Chennai is beautifully captured, I haven't seen such good use of extras in films before. It felt like they actually shot it amidst traffic in the main roads. Chennai as a setting isn't very romantic, it's noisy and chaotic and yet the feeling stays, it is mostly retained through the characters, and their passion. I think a lot of acting in Gautham Menon's films happens through voice, because the way the characters talk brings a lot to the table. He captures that passion and intimacy through the voice.

Certified Copy Analysis

Certified Copy (2010)

Written and Directed by: Abbas Kiarostami
Starring: Juliette Binoche, William Shimell
Premiered at Cannes Film Festival 2010
Best Actress at Cannes for Juliette Binoche.

A British writer, and a French antiques dealer walk and talk over Tuscany for a day. The film by the idea and the setting, seems like a Richard Linklater film, a Woody Allen film, or a Hong Sang-soo film. Artist protagonists. Conversations over a walk. Conversations about art. Using a city as a setting. Barely any conflicts. But the film also gets into the Charlie Kaufman territory. It becomes confusing and complex in parts, especially how they switch roles from a certain point in the film. The film also talks about originality in art, which is already such a nuanced topic. They talk about 'Mona Lisa' being a copy of a woman, which reminded me of the Art Curious Podcast, and the conspiracy theories they had saying that the actual Mona Lisa in the Louvre Museum is actually a fake one, and the real one is actually lost or in a safe vault. So the question is, does it even matter? 

It's interesting how the film is shot. It mostly uses one shots of characters as they talk to each other, until they start talking like they are a couple, from then I recall that it's most two shots, where both of them are in the frame. The film, for sure, intrigued me because of the abstract narrative but there's no emotional gratification. The viewing experience of the film is quite absurd, and it almost feels semi conscious. The film grabs you, and engages you for a bit, and leaves you hanging there for a bit. 

Rick and Morty S1 Analysis

Rick and Morty S1

Created by: Justin Roiland and Dan Horman

Streaming on Netflix.

Rick is a crazy cynical scientist. He is Morty's grandpa, he takes Morty along for his science adventures. Morty is a fretful kid, who is always anxious and nervous even about the slightest of things. The fun is generated through our awareness of these characters, and after that whenever Morty is anxious, or whenever he says 'aww... Man', it's low key funny. And when the situation is too big, even before we see Monty react, we'd start laughing. And of course, Rick is the one saying the most absurd, unpredictable, dark things. It's seems like such a simple premise, but the level of complexity they explore in some episodes just expands the scope of the show. 

The premise caters to our inner child and rightfully so, because it justifies the form of animation. It caters to the inner child because as you're a kid or a grumpy old man, you don't crave for dopamine hits as much, and you aren't on the pursuit behind anything. You mostly get happy through the simplicities of life. We are more in the state of zen in these times, which is represented through Rick. Morty's fretful nature comes out from a sense of naivety, so it's not anxiety inducing as we watch. I enjoyed the first few episodes the most, the later episodes started becoming in the same territory one after the other - which probably explains why I'm more into movies than shows. I get bored pretty fast. But, I loved getting introducing to the world of this show.

Heat Analysis

Heat (1995)

Written and Directed by: Michael Mann
Starring: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro
Streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

It is a simple hero versus villain film, a cop versus a thief, good versus evil and it is done so well. Both the characters are fleshed out and performed very well. Robert De Niro is so different in this film, he is much more sophisticated and subdued. He doesn't stutter, or mumble and it's interesting to see him this way. Much different from how he was in Goodfellas which came the same year. Al Pacino is terrific too. The setting of the film is the nightscape of the city - the bokeh effect of the traffic lights is such well used in the film as a visual element. And both the men meet at the midpoint, both the stars, it's such a cinematic high, and after the build up, they don't fight or even yell at each other, they just sit and talk about how they feel about things. That scene gives the audience a cinematic high, and it also explores character in an engaging way. I like how the film had people wearing black suits most of the times. I remember a lot of scenes where both characters were wearing black. It adds to the texture of the film. 

The action is so good. It feels like a blast, and yet it doesn't feel too over the top. Despite of all the action, the film is about these two people as well. We see Al Pacino struggling in his marriage, his daughter attempting suicide, and we see how Robert De Niro's partner takes a chance with him and leaves everything, and goes to him - but because of his nature and the kind of job he does, she has to go through a heartbreak. Although we don't know if she ever fell in love, or if she was just swooned by his charm. Well, it's tough not to fall for something like that but she'd perhaps learn a lesson. 

Cold Case Analysis

Cold Case (2021)

Directed by: Tanu Balak
Written by: Sreenath V. Nath
Starring: Prithviraj Sukumaran, Aditi Balan
Streaming on Amazon Prime.

The logline of the film read something like a mix of an investigative thriller, and a supernatural element and suddenly the film that ringed in me was 'The Wailing'. Though the ending of that film didn't work as much for me, it had a terrific tonality throughout. The reason this film disappointed me is because even the tone of the film didn't work for me. It uses the same old tropes of showing horror. Someone moving in the back. Someone making sounds. Some random magic tricks. I hate them even if they're done well. I, in fact, don't enjoy watching supernatural horror unless if the film works even without the horror element of it. Here, there are bits and pieces of the thriller piece working. Some interesting portions of investigation. But the core idea of the movie fell apart for me. I think a dead person seeking for revenge by becoming a ghost, as a story is done to death and we've to find different ways of exploring horror. A flashback in the ending which explains the mystery, the character who is a spirit master, lights turning off, dramatic music - all such elements. 

What worked for me in the film is that, in spite the film had all these cliches, I didn't feel like I should stop watching it. It had the expectations stay. Simply because the film is grounded well, and is shot decently. Like the scene where she sees a starfish in the icebox, the scene where the girl is stuck in the fridge - these are interesting scenes. I think if we maintain this standard of filmmaking, and if the story works, then it'll be a wonderful movie.

Luca Analysis

Luca (2021)

Directed by: Enrico Casarosa
A PIXAR film. 
Streaming on Disney+Hotstar.

It's a sweet film about friendship, and acceptance. Even though the film is about these things, it's amazing how PIXAR manages to create a world which is always rich of love from the family and that's what makes it endearing. The premise in itself carries the theme of the film in a subtle way, discrimination, the feeling of being different from others because of something you can't control. A few sea monsters, assume human form as they come out of water, for us to empathize with them. It's also meta in a way because even for us to understand them, they have to become something that we can see and relate to, or else we'd not empathize with them, just like the people in the film.

The plans Luca and Alberto make, to buy a Vespa - I think that's the core of a friendship. To make plans for something you look forward to in life, and being on the pursuit of it. The pursuit for something is always more beautiful than what it actually is. The conversations they have about what they'd do after buying a Vespa. Luca wanting to go to school with the girl he meets, works in both ways, it works for what it is, and it also works for a guy falling in love with a girl and the conflict it would create between two close friends. Luca letting go of Alberto as a sea monster, is such a heartbreaking scene, and the final scene when Luca redeems himself is such a Rajamouli-esque scene. I had goosebumps while watching something after quite a while.