Rough sketches

Rough Sketches..

Alien in Color

After much deliberation i have finally managed to digitally paint one of my drawings..
Finally..!!

Fear...!!

I have tried thematic sketching this time and decided to take up "fear" as my theme for these particular sketches.


My co-blogger and friend Kamal suggested me to make the second drawing look a little more dynamic..so i made few changes to it above and i am posting it again.








best viewed on full screen

more Drawings

Well..Here are few more drawings i did today,I have decided that i will keep studying male Anatomy for next few days and then will start with female Anatomy..and while i am at it, i will keep posting the better sketches on my blog , right now i am using combination of approaches..i have followed Andre Loomis for the Anatomy part of the drawing..but for construction (armature) i am following Burne Hogarth (using boxes and putting them in perspective) i have found this hybrid approach to be very convenient especially for somebody who cant comfortably translate his thoughts on paper through drawings, here ..following this combination, with little bit of planning , you can easily draw the most complicated of foreshortenings.







better viewed when full screen.

Back in Action

Have been hibernating for sometime, there had been lot of stuff i needed to read up cause i was feeling extremly uninspired lately, i have got myself into a habit of buying books and keeping them for a later date for reading, i had been doing this since last one year and didn't read a single book, until i realized the same, and therefore i resolved to take some time off, from my everyday schedule and start reading them..had been doing the same for last 6 months, finished reading "Kite Runner", "Roald Dahl Omnibus", "Styajit Rays :Adventure of Feluda", "www.H.R.Giger.com", "Story by Robert Mckee" and a few others. Now since i am done with them..i am back to my drawing board and here are a few quickies to start with, trust me..this will get better with time.

Sharada (1981) :A Comedy that tries too hard to be a Family Drama

I am sure you guys must be thinking that i have lost it completely, especially because this is going to be the first Mainstream hindi film i am reviewing on this blog..that too from 1981, and its not Sholey either. So what really lead me to make my mind up for reviewing this particular film which people from my generation might have never even heard of.. Honestly, I have no idea, it could be lot of things, maybe starting from- me having absolutely no idea of what i am getting into when i started watching it or the fact that the film was so bad that it was good..you just cant imagine how exhilarated and amused i was when the events started to unfold..i was laughing , choking, throwing up ,sallowing my puke and laughing again and i kept doing the same thing over and over again for the next two hours or so (yes ..even while the songs).

Picture this, Inder (jitender) is a hard working and god fearing simpleton who lives with his mother and works for Lalima Lipsticks. His mother is a conservative and over protective person, who has seen some really difficult times owing to the early demise of her husband. Inder, due to his hard work soon starts to climb the corporate ladder and becomes the favorite of his Chairman Mr.Kohili (Madan Puri) who looks at him as a prospective son in law. Jagdish (Jagdeep) is Inder's hyperactive and street smart secretary who believes in getting promoted by hook or by crook. In an important meeting with the companies agents Jadish offers female escorts in order to entertain the clients, All the agents get drunk including Inder (first time for him) and indulge in a night of debauchery leaving Inder estranged with a woman called Sharada(Rameshwari) who is a rookie in the profession (First time for her too).. Inder who is completly drunk and overly emotional by now and Sharda who has already declined a advance made by one of the agents ,strike a conversation leading to some of the most hilarious lines in the history of Indian Cinema :

Inder : Chi..tum aisa kam kyon karti ho ?
Sharda : Kyonki mai aanath hoon ..aur ek anath ladki ke duniya fayada uthati hai
Inder : Kyaaah... tum Anath Ho..!!?? ( Bursts into tears) Mai tumhara dard samajh Sakta hoon..!

and the Conversation leads to Inder getting married to Sharda in the same hotel while the rest of the escorts and the agents plays best men and brides maid respectively.(of which Inder has no memory of the next morning..of course, he was drunk..wasnt he!!)

Shit hits the fan when Mr.Kohili meets Inders mother and tells her his intention of getting his daughter married to her son..for which the mother readily agrees cause after all he is the Chairman who has recently promoted her son, a conversation that leads to the second most hilarious line in the history of Indian Cinema:

Mr Kohili : Mai AApko Inder ke promotion ke liye Mubarak baad dena Chahata tha
Mother : Promotion..!! MAtlab pagar me sau ek rupiyaa to badega na..??
Mr:Kohili : SAu Ek Rupiyaa nahin ..pure Derh Hazaar , Ab Inder ki Pagar poorey teen Hazaar ho gayi hai
Mother : (Gasps in Disbelief) Hai raam..Itney Paise hum Rakhheygey kahan..!!??

whats follows is a completly bizarre set of events which includes fixing grill on the windows, scheme of a murder, attempted poisoning,suicidal mother, a wife who is a absolute pile on,a VAT 69 scotch whiskey that looks like Rum, a dream sequence which goes too far, regular trips between Pune and Mumbai (both of whom seems to be in a different time zone in 1981.),an overly long horse leash (100 yards at least.), a Blackmailer getting Blackmailed and One Final showdown in Haridwaar. Oh yes in the middle of all that ..you also have Raj Babbar in a "blink and you miss" appearance.

Most of time me and Chetan( My Ex Girlfrnd and my Present Roomie) were baffled and perplexed cause we were not able to figure ,if the director (Lekh Tondon) intended to make this a comedy or a family drama..then Chetan pointed out that since the scenes in which i was laughing hardest had a low and extremly sad background score ..it must be family drama..!! Its just that the socio economical and cultural changes in past 26 years have turned it into one of the best comedies of present time.

I was lucky enough to watch it on Television, but its a rare film cause there is nothing written about it over the internet as well..therefore i wasnt able to get the film poster from anywhere. But try not missing this little gem from 1981 if you get a chance today..especially if you enjoyed reading this review and have a similar sense of humor like mine.

In a flurry of recent remakes i guess this film has a lot of potential , only if Mr.David Dhawan is listening..!!

The Missing Link...

Need I say more...

Bucknorism

Buknorism : an extremly fatal condition leading to loss of hearing, vision and responses to stimuli ,that occurs because of being exposed to severe environments of profanity and excessive aggression. Symptoms usually includes perennial precipitation and recurring loss of body fluids





Amit ,my colleague at work made a very interesting observation about the way India played in Sydney, he stated that without prejudice this is the best performance given by India ever in any test match because against all odds they were actually able to play the game till the fifth day..but then playing against Australia is never easy who have just proved they are world champions not just in cricket but every thing else as well ;)


(Nigger is sometimes used amongst working class Australians, when used in a casual sense between friends or work colleagues of both white and mixed race. )

the reason i mention this is in the given context is because i dont want the cartoon to be misconstrued as racial and derogatory in any manner.

press pressure

I had been following a story doing rounds in tabloids regarding two NRI ladies getting molested in Mumbai on the eve of the new year, at Juhu..It has been a sad incident, but what has been more saddening is the voyeuristic attitude of two photographers who where there from the time the whole scuffle started..its unfortunate to see the media exploiting somebodies personal tragedy for there own gain and TRPs.


The photographs would have worked as an evidence against the perpetrators even if they have not been circulated all over the media. Off late you can easily see that free and fair journalism has become a story of the past. The Media is starting to take sides and that day is not far when for the sake of sensationalizing journalism they would become a party to an act that may lead to a news report..





so on a less serious note, here is my take at our Media :

Rejoicing 2008

Rejoicing 2008, originally uploaded by aroop_d.

A very happy and prosperous new year to all the readers..i will try to be more regular with my posts this year unlike the last year where i had been on and off..!!

Have an Amazing year Ahead.. Cheers!!

Camera Confusion..!!

The eternal discussion of digital vs Film camera continues and it has now taken shape of a debate as most of the popular manufacturer of popular film camera have decided to completely replace there assembly line with Digital camera, Nikon is already doing away with its Film SLR and completely replacing it with the new breed of DSLR , thankfully you will still be able to use old Nikon lens kits with the DSLR but then you will need to manually focus as Nikon D40,D40x and D50 doesn't have a motor built in the camera body and instead they rely on lenses with inbuilt motor to Auto focus. Minolta has been bought over by Sony and Canon has also pretty much given up on manufacturing Film SLR's and like Olympus they are only producing compact film cameras and every thing else have gone digital, so what does a photography enthusiast do in such case, where does he/her start..when to upgrade and upgrade to what..I will try and answer such issues in the rest of the article.

lets first Categorize the users

1. A person trying to upgrade from a Film compact Camera to a Film SLR or Digital Compact or DSLR :

Since the above user is fresh into photography as he is still using a Compact film camera..I think its more advisable for him to go in for a Digital Compact Camera..with a budget of around Rs 7000 you can easily buy a Digital Camera with 3-4x zoom (28-55 mm) or (28-70mm) also before buying they must check what all features the camera offers , usually in this kind of budget you can easily find camera with aperture priority or shutter priority which gets you pretty close to shooting the picture for your self and not letting the camera's Auto mode shoot it for you, another thing that can be checked is exposure..from shortest to longest..usually in the above budget it ranges from 1/2000 of sec to 8-10 sec (long exposure). Most people who buy camera usually don't explore there cameras and keep using it like a regular point and shoot not realizing that there camera is capable of much more than that.
I think a Canon powershot A460 or A550 is a good example of such Camera..which is cheap ,very compact and yet very capable..another example is Samsung D430.


Canon A460


Canon Powershot A550




2. A person trying to upgrade from a Film SLR to Compact Digital Camera or DSLR:

This is the category where there is the biggest confusion specially because people using a FilmSLR would never prefer to downgrade themselves to Compact Digital and so the only option they look at is a DSLR, which is actually because of there ignorance and lack of research..the Compact Digital Cameras don't always mean a point and shoot Camera, there are lot of high end compact camera (which are priced much lesser than DSLR) who are as capable as a entry level DSLR and sometimes even better..best Example is an Olympus SP550 UZ its a compact camera which gives you a 18x zoom that is 27mm to (hold your breath)500mm, they give you a complete manual mode,also gives a shutter and aperture priority mode, Video Capture at 640*480@30fps,image stabilization,ISO from as low as 50 to as high as 5000 and is able to Shoot in RAW format and all this costs you around Rs.16500, another option is my personal favorite FujiFilm FinePix S9600 which doesn't has a zoom of Olympus SP550 and only has a 28-300 mm Zoom (which is pretty good if you compare it with any DSLR cause you will need at least two separate lens kits to get that range) besides its a very sturdy Camera and looks and feels just like a DSLR, one of the thing I really like about this piece is that it has a manual zoom so every time you want to zoom in you can rotate your lens just like in SLR's and zoom into a subject instead of toggling buttons and a snout sticking out in front of the camera (which also eventually spoils the motor of the camera) you can manually focus with this once as well also that it provides a aperture range from f2.8 to f11 ( which is as good as a Entry level DSLR) and has 9.1 Megapixel with RAW output..the fact that you have the range of 28-300mm at your disposal (leaves hardly anything left out until you want to do a intergalactic photo shoot) there is nothing you cant shoot with this baby..this is almost a DSLR the only reason it doesn't completely crosses over is just because it has a fixed lens. Smartly priced at around Rs.22000 which is the same as Nikon D40 (but you will need to buy the telephoto lens separately which will cost you extra Rs 12000.) Its one of the best buys available in the market for someone who is trying to upgrade to some serious photography.



Olympus SP 550 Uz

Fuji finepix S9600

You can also look at Panasonic DMC- FZ30, Sony Cybershot DSC H70 or Canon Powershot S 5is


3. A person trying to upgrade from a Compact Digital to a Film SLR or a DSLR :

This is a tricky one..the biggest paradox here is the general misconception that Digital camera only upgrades to another Digital Camera and can not upgrade to a Film Camera..which isn't quite true,Digital and Film camera both take pictures, in Film SLR there is a cost of a film roll but then the Camera bodies are really cheap and also lets not forget that you get to click slides through a film SLR which gives you a resolution which is more than 10 times that of a DSLR with the highest Megapixel.
Since in Film SLR there isn't a CCD and the picture get imprinted on a negative, you are able to easily point the camera directly towards a high powered light source and click a picture, if you do the same with you DSLR, you will end up damaging your CCD..also the fact that DSLR camera are mostly integrated circuits and micro chips , makes them even more susceptible to damages due to dust, moisture and shock..Film SLR instead are cheap and mostly mechanical (gears and pulleys) so they might rust but will still keep working under very hard conditions.
The only thing that turns the table around drastically in favor of DSLR is Replaybility ie ability to view the image the moment you click it..while in Film SLR you will first need for your roll to get over, then give it for developing and only after that you can view the pictures that you have clicked. This one obvious point which actually seems to work in favor of a digital SLR sometimes works against it..!! Let me Explain :
Say you are a hobbyist and you buy your self a Digital SLR, its very easy for a person starting with photography to get overwhelmed by feature rich camera with an Artificial intelligence, that he disregards to most common things ie Shutter and Aperture (trust me lot of people prefer using ISO settings instead of adjusting the shutter in low light conditions and eventually they end up getting images which looks good on the LCD of the Camera but once you transfer it to a computer..it looks grainy and noisy..therefore the DSLR increases the learning curve. A Film SLR instead, is a rather simple assembly..a Exposure Knob and a Aperture Setting and then that green and red light signal showing when the image is getting rightly exposed, that blinks inside your view finder (light meter) and that's that. Even the fact there are exhibitions and competitions that asks you to submit negatives and slides of you photograph (in order to make sure the picture isn't post processed using Photoshop or any other photo editing software.) makes a Film SLR a viable purchase.
But the biggest factor is the cost..as more and more DSLR are being pumped into the market, the second hand market of Film SLR is showing tremendous growth, now a second hand SLR is easily available for Rs.7000 to 10,000 and telephoto lenses are available in the range of Rs 3000 to 7000. which combined is cheaper than most of the Compact Digital Camera available with 3 or 4 x zoom and around 6 Megapixel. Which is nothing compared to a 35 mm film (its the same size of film that you watch in the theater, the image that you see on the screen is the resolution your film camera is able to shoot at.)

My honest suggestion is if you really want to take up photography as a hobby and learn with what all a SLR Camera can do..get your self a Film SLR instead of DSLR and make sure the lenses you are buying with it have a common mount..so that when you buy a DSLR later you can use the same lenses. you will need to do a bit of research for this..from what I have gathered
All the Nikkor lenses can be used with any Nikon DSLR but there wont be a Auto Focus and you will need to Manually focus.
All Canon lenses also go with Canon DSLR
Most of the Tamron Lenses goes with Pentex
Sigma Lenses goes with Olympus and Nikon mounts but again in Nikon you will need to Manually focus.

Vivitar 3800 N Film SLR


4. Why to buy a DSLR at all.

Interestingly if I go with my above arguments then there is actually no need for anybody to buy a DSLR , but there is..for everybody who wants to take photography seriously and wants there camera to do more for them. Even in my past argument I have stated that the Digital compact that comes closest to being a DSLR is Fuji Finepix with fixed lens of 28-300 mm, but then there is a 10mm wide angle lens available and a 500mm Zoom lens available , and in order to use those you would need a DSLR. there is no denying that the image quality of DSLR is a notch better than a compact digital camera and when it comes to making prints a shot taken from a DSLR would provide better results compared to a Compact Digital Camera.
What's really important for one to understand is the resolution of there camera..a entry level DSLR like a Nikon D40 gives you a 6.1 Megapixel or a Canon EOS D30 with 4 Megapixel which is much lesser than that of a Fuji FinePix S9600 (Compact Digital Camera) which gives you a resolution of 9 Megapixel and still carries the same price tag and tends to be cheaper if you intend to buy a Nikon D40 with a telephoto lens kit ,which will then cost Rs.22000 (Camerabody and 18-55 mm lens) +Rs 11000 (Telephoto Lens 50mm-200mm) . If you really need a DSLR , then don't mind spending a little more and buying a Nikon D40x or an Olympus E410 or Canon 40 D all of them gives you a 10 Megapixel resolution , so even if you decide to shoot in really low light using a ISO setting which is above 400 and then decide to make prints of 4 X 6 ,the results will be pretty decent.
Another thing that you need to keep in mind is the purpose you will be using your Camera for ie if you intend to do extensive night photography, then many of the above Entry level DSLR don't offer you a cable release socket (although they have a 'b' exposure) instead they allow you to use a remote which you need to buy separately and it costs much more than a cable release does. On the positive side , all the above DSLR gives you a long Exposure of 30 sec's, but if you want to go beyond that..be ready to spend extra money and buy a remote control that is sold seperately.

Nikon D40 x
Olympus Evolt 410


I would conclude by saying that its a good idea to have you DSLR as your second Camera which you use along with either a Compact Digital Camera or a SLR, and if you have decided to buy a DSLR then try not to compromise with the Entry level DSLR and spend a little more and buy something that is probably mid range if you dont have enough money then wait till you have the budget, because there is nothing worse than spending a lot of money and then being unsatisfied with the product..I would suggest an Olympus E 410 ( I know Nikon and Canon are more popular names but Olympus scores above them when it comes to features and that too for the same price.) Also remember one thing, its not the Camera that makes good picture..its the person taking those snaps.

Points to Remember while buying a high End Digital Camera (Compact or DSLR)

• Does the camera shoots the RAW format.
• How many Megapixel ( the more the merrier)
• The lens ( how wide is it and how much can it zoom)
• The aperture in Wide and Tele mode (the bigger the aperture ie lesser Value, the shallower Depth of field -for eg at wide angle a f2.8 will be better than f4 and at Telephoto an f 4 will be better than a f 5.6.
• the Dynamic range of Exposure ie bigger the range the better the camera
• what is the longest Exposure that the camera can shoot in usually ranges from 8 secs to 30 secs
• Does the Camera have a bulb exposure
• ISO range
• Availability of lens kits in case of DSLR ( the price and how easily are they available)
• Image Stabilization ( in the case come compact cameras with nice Zoom).
• Navigation is over rated..as you get used to the camera ..it becomes easier for you to navigate through the controls , so don't be taken in by some one who compares Camera based on Navigation
• Image Quality ( are you happy with what you see)- for this you can do a following test..select all the camera you are interested in and put them on Auto mode and then click the same subject with all of them, once you have taken the picture..start zooming into it and go all the way till the end, now compare the images for noise and loss and color..the more saturated colors and the less noise the better the image quality.
  

Indian Call Center

Came across this video on Internet..a very interesting tongue in cheek take on Indian Call Center..watch at your own peril..and try not to choke yourself laughing

Dead Mary : Entertaining until the third Act

In last 10 years, thanks to the advancements in digital medium and inexpensive cameras which have ability to shoot high resolution images, we have seen a flurry of Films made on shoe string budget , almost everybody with enough passion for films is able to make a film today.. all that really matters is getting a crew of like minded people together. What this digital advantage has resulted in is a barrage of films .. mostly ,not so good- the reason being over ambitious projects, bad acting and weak screenplay and story structure.
When you try to incorporate a lot of elements in the film which might make it look glossier and more expensive then it actually is, it falls flat on the face, as these elements ends up making the film very artificial and fake ( for example-badly executed SFX or make up work done by using jelly and ketchups ) but then there are few gems who know their constrains and use it to their advantage –the perfect example of it being the films like-The Blair Witch Project, After, 2000 Maniacs, Hamiltons ,Blood Car, REC and I can go on and on.




Recently I got a chance to watch Dead Mary a Canadian film directed by Robert Wilson , which left quite a impact on me.. there is nothing more fun than watching a film which looks bigger than itself, Dead Mary inherently is a horror/supernatural flick but it has been crafted really well, it seems like a mix of ‘The Thing’ (John Carpenter) and ‘Evil Dead’(Sam Raimi), the acting is very good through out and plot devices work pretty well most of the time.
Now the nitty-gritty’s of it, Ahem, well there are things which you don’t do when you are inside a horror film, those are rules- if you break them , you will end up facing severe consequences.

Rule 1 : you never take a weekend trip with your friends into the woods to spend a night in a cabin or a camp by the lake.

Rule 2 : If you have broken the 1st Rule then while you are in your Cabin by the lake you Never- never-ever discuss Urban legends or mock at them .

Rule 3 : Now that you had been stupid enough to break both the above rules- you still Have a chance if you decided not to venture out on a exploration trip into he Woods ,all on your own.

Rule 4: You don’t do Drugs

Rule 5: You don’t have Sex- only Virgins make it out alive.

Rule 6: Try not to be a pervert/cock-sucker/creep/bitch/slut –whom everyone in the group hates but still hangs out with em- you will be the first one dead n the grand scheme of things .

Rule 7: When you are lost in the woods and you find a small shack and you want to call some one for help because obviously your cell-phone isn’t working- don’t you dare go knocking at their doors and shouting out the three magic words "Hello! Anybody home."

Rule 8: Don’t ever say “I will be right Back” thats the last thing your friends will hear you say.

Rule 9: when you have sealed your self inside the cabin or the house, make sure you double check..there is always a open window that you would have missed..and then triple check and then check again.

Rule10 :If you hear a sound in the attic..Dont run out of the house in panic,the sound could be a rat or beaver for all that you know.

The bunch of friends in Dead Mary breaks all of the above rules and more- so they obviously will have to face the consequence, Of course they will- only this time, its not “a stranger with a ugly face behind the mask walking with a hatchet/chainsaw in the woods” instead they are pitted against each other, which makes the proceeding even more suspenseful .
Here is how it goes – A bunch of Six friends, heads out into the woods for a long weekend, they get bored-get drunk and decide to play a game involving a Urban Legend, the game is actually pretty simple- you carry a candle, stand infront of a mirror , switch off that rooms light and then you look at your reflection in the mirror and say Dead Mary thrice- if you do that, Dead Mary shows up and bad things happen. So far so good (in been there, done that sort of way) but then Dead Mary doesn’t really shows up, instead it possesses one of the friends and turns him into a killer , this is where the tension arises as all the cast is able to figure out the ploy of one of them getting possessed and being turned against all the others, and they figure it out pretty early in the film- but they cant find a way to figure out which one among them is really possessed. Dead Mary becomes a red herring of sort as what ever is happening to the group may or may not be Dead Mary.. there are hints at the forest being possessed by evil spirit even before the group arrived (one of the plot device).

Its not a great film, its not even a film that will gain a cult status in the future,it doesn't deserves one (for heavens sake it’s a PG-13 film, ever heard of a PG-13 film which went onto become a cult classic..!!??) but there are quite a few good things that the film has going for itself,For example the laid back first act, which takes its time in establishing the character, the first death happens after 40 mins of runtime in the film, the Cinematography is brilliant ,using a very saturated pallet when it starts and then reducing the colour scheme to blue and red and gray by the time its over ,this is one element which raises the standard of what could have been a very lame and run of the mill affair, Acting is pretty good and screenplay is pretty potent because it makes a mediocre story into a good film, unfortunately- the third act of the film is where the film fails, the director is not able to use lot of plot devices that he has introduced earlier in the script therefore all you get is potential set pieces one after another but no proper closure to them, understood too much of exposition is never a good idea but establishing a device and not using it in the favor of the film or not using it all -is even worse ,and the film ends all to suddenly, I wish and hope that the director realizes this and releases a directors cut with a extended ending of the film. But even with all those issues , I personally find Dead Mary to be a pretty entertaining ,lesser known film done on a very low budget. Give it a chance and if you watch it with a open mind, it wont disappoint you.

Pithamagan : a Brilliant exercise in Film Making

Long Back, in a scorching hot afternoon of Delhi, I was a reluctant audience to a seminar on Film theories and Deconstructions..i had better things to do that afternoon and although I love watching films, I just didn’t felt there is anything more that you can dwell deeper into other than the entertainment value, what I never knew was within next two hours my whole perspective towards films is going to crumble to dust and shoved into my face.. the esteemed lecturer started by stating , “ the most entertaining films are the easiest to understand, and since they are so easy, you loose them the moment you walk out of the theater.” And he left it at that.. just showing me one side of the coin, I didn’t even knew till then that there are kind of films that could be otherwise. Films are a medium of entertainment ,are they not, I see life every day, therefore if I pay money and sit in one dark corner of a theater , I prefer to isolate my self from the rest of the world for next 3 hrs and watch something that , I will never get to watch in real life.. that’s exactly how I felt, isn’t that what a film is suppose to do to you, weave a fairytale around you and take away your worries for those 3 blissful hours – Wrong!! thats entertaining cinema at best, responsible cinema- I guess not, if that film has not changed you in anyway by the time it gets over, its pointless and a wasted medium.. entertaining, definitely but Value Driven –absolutely not.. its not that I have something against the escapist cinema, I have been bought up on a staple diet of such films, but once in a while I love watching the multi layered film with a social message , because they are reassuring , telling me-“Son! all is not lost we still exist, outnumbered and lurking in shadows of so called mainstream film, but we are alive.. so have some faith!!” Films communicate to me and I have learned to listen to them.
Also, before I get into more details, I will take a liberty of adding that ever since I have developed a taste for regional and International Cinema , I had been a happier man.. although I don’t know the language, the films communicate more to me than anything coming out of Bombay or Hollywood.




PithaMagan is a film which very cleverly walks a razors edge between the thinking mans Cinema and film for the masses, and succeeds in doing so – The Story is about a Graveyard Caretaker Chitan (Brilliantly portrayed by Vikram) who was born in the graveyard and and was orphaned right away thus leading a feral life, he grows up in the Graveyard devoid of all/any Human contact and and one day ,is forced to walk out and face the ruthless world ..all he has with him are true animal instincts, the films follows him and we watch the proceeding through his POV,its Chintans journey and transition from a wild being to a domesticated one and reverse, the films at times veers away to introduce few more characters and takes a little longer than necessary to establish them.. but that’s allright. The Director( Bala) has done a great job in getting his crew together.. and the performances are just extraordinary ..the subject could have failed miserably in less competent hands but it’s the restrained performance by Vikram (trust me in a part like that, its very easy to ham and go over the top)which makes it work. Its very difficult to describe the character of Chintan as he isn’t mentally challenged but it’s a kind of part where most of the other actors would have slyly rented DVD of Hollywood films(Forrest Gump, Instict etc) and looked for inspiration thus at the end of the day making the part a very synthetic and pretentious one(Rani Mukherjee in Black). Instead Vikram just gets under the skin of Chintan, he takes the character and makes it his own.. when you are looking at the screen, its only Chintan that you see, Vikram just doesn’t exists in the film.
Shakthi(Surya) plays the otherside of the spectrum, and does well to stand up to author baked role of Vikram, all on his own- he is rough, he is loud and foul mouthed street urchin but still likable.. as the film progresses, its shown that with all the minor flaws ,Shakti has got his heart in the right place.. and he is a do gooder , a kind of friend anyone of us would like to have and the film trys to establish this particular fact over and over again (one of the films major flaws) because when a films trys too hard to make a character likable –you pretty much get a hint of how his cookie would crumble. Laila was the surprise package and her arch connects both Chitan and Shakti as her part starts off as a comic relief and ends in one of the most heart wrenching and poignant moment (read: reaction to a death) ever filmed on a Indian Screen.. the film(I know people will hate me if a say this..) also has a vague undercurrent of a Man in love with another Man (I am avoiding the word homosexuality) which has been dealt with utmost profound dignity..
Simaran’s(Playing herself) part starts off well but then turns out to be like a guests who overstays his welcome.. this is the only part that looks forced into the whole narrative of the film.
The Cinematography is wonderful, music of Illyaraja is good and the technical department does well, but it’s a film that belongs to the actor and they have all done a amazing job (incidentally :all the films I have seen of Vikram now he seems to repeat similar role, becoming typecasted which is unfortunate)

My heart goes out to this film and the fact that even though these kind of films are being made we are still sending out Devdas and Paheli and Eklavya for Oscars.. not that Oscar is a big deal, but why on earth these kind of films are not able to get the kind of exposure they deserve and instead, end up confided in certain region of the country,Yeah, this film would be much better if it was 20 minutes shorter but its a indian film that comes with its idiosyncrasies like every other film out there, I don’t believe in giving points and grading a Film but I can tell you one thing for sure.. its one of the better ones out there to come out that year. Defiantly a must watch.

Sye : kicking ass the old fashioned way

With the Check De effect all around ..I thought its about time, I write about something too.. but then everybody has a opinion on Chak de and almost everybody likes it ..there fore it doesn’t makes much sense to me to write about a film which is so popular that people hates to discuss its gray areas forget the blacks (not that there aren’t any)..there is absolutely no doubt that its one of the best film of the year but the only problem with films based on sports is.. you know how its going to end even before it begins and since there had been already so many films made on the same subject that everything you see on screen (esp if you follow the Genre) feels like been there done that.. starting from the fallen hero, his eventual return from his confinement (Keanu Reeves in Replacements),his taking over the most unlikely team of losers or underdogs ..till the final infamous speech in the dressing room during the halftime and the match being decided in the penultimate moment.. people had been comparing Chak De with “The Mighty Ducks” and “Miracle” I seriously pity the Critics these days they don’t even look through the film.. forget doing a bit of research on the source material ..if my memory serves me right Chak de seemed more derivative of a film called “A League of there Own”. Chak De is a good film , if not a great film but I am not here to talk about Chak De..i am writing here to take you on a little trip in the past and talk about a film which might be a lesser known to ardent film watchers like myself



For me the beauty of watching film has always been getting into the film expecting something (not much really) and getting something which is entirely different.. SYE (Telgu ) is one such film (the film must be a popular one in Andhra Pradesh and south of India) but the purpose of me writing about it here is to do my bit and get this film close to the audience it really deserves. Now the director of the film S.S.Rajamauli(its his 2nd film) takes every possible cliché ,every possible formula and puts it into the grind..the film is absolute no brainer but its Entertainment on the Rocks.. let me give you a hint

Two feuding groups in a Arts and Science Collage in Hyderabad (Wings and Claws), One Land Mafia and wannabe MLA eyeing the land that the collage is built on, both the feuding groups join forces for one final showdown with the land Mafia.. throw in few colorful songs in the middle, good looking people (PYT), nice oomph quotient and a comedy track which has nothing to do with the film narrative ..and you have got it all in place..
Its hard to talk about a film like SYE without giving away much, but trust me.. the lesser you know about it , the more you will enjoy it.. its not a Yash Raj and SRK but still manages to deliver a high on adrenalin(read:steroids) ride ,from the word go.. it gave me something I felt was missing in Cinema for a very long time – A great larger than life Villain(you will just love to hate him) and a lovely third act that culminates into a climax which is 45 minutes long!! .. the acting ranges from Campy to good to Histrionics ..but hey !! it’s a formula film that works like a Charm.. Hyderabad is Shot beautifully on Screen and the film flows swiftly.. its connected well and the action is good.. just what you want to view on a laid back Sunday evening.. make sure to have your friends over ,stack your self with enough Pizza and Beer.. and you are in for a fun ride ..go ahead ,have a good time.
(also watch out for the usage of the “F” word without any beeps …whoowww Fuckin Awasome.. ;))

my new blog

Yayeee...!! I have a photoblog too..

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Enlightement

Enlightement, originally uploaded by aroop_d.

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Pondicherry : Try it..you will like it.

Just as we were heading towards the end of a project, we decided to take a break once the things are all wrapped up, it has been rather difficult few months with a very demanding client in terms of quality, we did our bit of research and came up with a couple of options –Calicut, Munnar and Pondycherry and we finally zeroed in on Pondicherry because being a Union Territory we knew that the booze will be extremely cheap, so we got our reservation done and started from Bangalore on Thursday night (Indira travels Sleeper Coach Bus) as this was the first time I was traveling to Pondicherry, there were lot of things I wasn’t aware of, First and foremost being the fact that If you are planning a weekend trip to Pondicherry make sure you get you return tickets reserved well in advance as there is a huge rush of people traveling back to Bangalore from Pondicherry and usually all the buses are booked ,also the fact that there are KRTC (Karnataka Roadways ) and PRTC (Pondicherry Roadways) operate a Volvo service from Pondicherry to Bangalore and back-the fact that not a lot of people are actually aware of this, helps you in getting a booking if you are on a short notice and decide to travel at the eleventh hour.
Our start was disastrous.. we were not able to find out the place where we were suppose to board the bus and then later it started raining heavy but we finally made it.. the next morning we were in Pondicherry at 6 ‘O’ clock and therefore decided to go to the Sea Front before we go to our Resort , to catch the Sunrise, however we got a little late and the sun was already up . Now just in case if you are new to Pondicherry here is a piece of information that can help, the Auto Rikshaws there don’t go by the meter and they don’t have a prepaid tariff card. You need to negotiate, what I know is from the Bus Stand to Gubert Avenue (sea front ) costs Rs.30 and from Bus Station to any resort on ECR (East Coast Road) will coast Rs.150. So after having our Breakfast at the Sea front in a nice cozy place which is a café of Hotel Ajantha , we took a Auto for our Resort which is almost 15 kms from the city.

Pondicherry

We got our hotel Reservations done early in Hotel Ashok Beach Resort and the agent very conveniently forgot to mention that the check in time of the Hotel is 12 noon, we reached Pondicherry by bus after a rather difficult overnight journey and we just wanted to take some sleep before we start with the sight seeing, we took a Auto rikshaw and went to the hotel ;the standard rate is Rs150 from the Bus stand to Hotel Ashok ; also take a note that there is bus service from the bus station to all the Hotels on ECR(East Coast Road) there is a bus in every 20 mins and it only costs Rs 3 also if you are adventure loving sort you can ask the Auto to take you to Mission street and from there you can hire a two wheeler (usally costs Rs 100/per day) and then drive to the hotel, its not very difficult since the there is just one main road and you have to drive straight down on it. When we reached the Hotel ..we were immediately taken in by the warmness of the place, the hotel is tucked away in a wilderness far from the maddening crowd of the city , the receptionist (a sweet lady called Miss Saundarya) told us that we are early and asked us to wait just another hour and we were checked in at 9 o clock (thanks to them) we got a nice room with a wonderful view of the sea. Also i would like to mention that this hotel sports one of the nicest beach in the city as Pondicherry beaches are pretty rough and rocky, this once also doesn’t allows you to swim ..but since its clean and secluded , there is less to crib.


Ajantha Hotel
Gubert Avenue



The staff is very friendly and accommodating (i always follow the philosophy that if you treat someone with respect that’s what you get back in return) over the period of two daysI was with them on there first name basis, the service is immaculate, the bar is open till 10:30 in the night and if you want to drink after that you can order room service to get you your poison and u can stack it in the refrigerator, the menu ..although is less in terms of varity..it more than makes up for it in quality ( pls do try out the chefs special Fish Steaks).. the ambience of the bar gives reminiscence of the old colonial times.. its a rather simple place , no frills and no string attached and thats why you end up feeling so right at home.
The place still doesnt has a swimming pool although its in construction and will be ready by the peak season (Dec- Jan). but I couldn’t have possibly waited that long ,so as we had only 2 days Reservation in Ashok , I decided to check out early in the morning on Sunday and got our booking done in another hotel called Aananda Inn ..its not a beach resort but has a very nice swimming pool and that’s exactly what I wanted after 2 days of rigorous sight seeing ,it seemed like a wonderful idea to laze around at the pool the whole of Sunday..



Hotel Ashok Beach Resort, Chinakalapet , Pondicherry.


While at Pondicherry do not miss Chunnamber Beach..its around 10 Km from the city en route to Cuddlore . Ideally you can rent a bike and Drive down there, start early so that you can be there by 10 in the morning, once you are there. You can take a ferry ride to Paradise Beach Resort ,it’s a beautiful and serene beach and the good thing, is if you were not reading it here, you wouldn’t ever know about it, so you see , its not a very popular tourist destination yet..you can spend the whole day there and still yearn for more (do remember its a private beach and it closes at 6 PM).
There is a lot of frustration that Pondicherry creates for the adventure enthusiasts because while in Pondicherry..you can look at the sea, but you cant go in for a swim as its very rough and sucks you in.. Chunnambar turns out to be a nice place to let you frustration out as it offers a very mellow and soft sea.

Paradise Beach
Chunnambar Backwaters


Shopping wise Pondicherry doesn’t have any novelty though ,as it offers the same old handicrafts material that you can get on any city which is close to the Ocean. There is a nice market near mission street called Grand Market and its worth going there once.
There is another place on the Goubert Avenue (towards the Cathedral ) called The Book Shop , nice place to spend sometime if you like reading. But what appeals you the most is how well the old French flavor has been preserved in the city and how well it has amalgamated with the culture in South. Take a walk down the Seafront and I will bet you will get a feeling that its Europe and not somewhere in India.


for more images of Pondicherry kindly visit

http://www.flickr.com/photos/aroop_d/

Of Blood , Sex and Severed Limb

C U at 9





Another sleeper, I don’t even recall the year of it release, I avoided watching it for as long as possible because there was nothing written about this film anywhere and neither did anyone spoke about it to me.. that left me perplexed, everytime I used to visit my local DVD rental store to rent out a film , while browsing through the album of films, this particular film used to turn up (very cleverly stacked under the category of Erotic Thriller with the likes of Basic Instinct, Sliver and almost all of Zalman Kings popular films) and yesterday, since there was nothing better to watch and I was actually looking for some popcorn entertainment, especially from which I cant expect anything.. out of curiosity I rented this one out.. i went back home, popped the DVD in ,took to my couch and allowed it to roll, well !! to tell you the truth, I was not very impressed with the start ,the introduction of characters but then as events proceeded, I was drawn.. not because of the screenplay, but because I realized that it heavily borrows from Takashi Miike ‘s Audition.. yes ( Jafar Bhai you heard that right)..All this time I was expecting and hoping and contemplating that one of these days I will get to see a Hollywood’s remake of Audition..not realizing that there was one that existed right under my nose all this while.. so, as I said earlier..I was drawn, because I can see what was coming and I was really curious that how will the get away with an audacious climax like that of Audition (it’s a Indian Film for crying out loud)..and boy oh boy, I was in for a big surprise, never again in my life will I underestimate a low budget Indie film done by a bunch of nobodies , because they have gone all out with a style although they could have done away with the excess hamming of Kim (Asami in Audition) towards the end and atleast not have her sing “kambakht ishq hai jo “ in a monologue.


The other thing which surprised me is how this film has pushed the envelop in terms of depiction of sex and violence ( I was finding it hard to believe, how a conservative censor like that of ours have agreed to pass few things in the film ) Severed limbs, decapitation ,mutilated corpse, sex and orgasm its all there. God bless the censor board and I hope they stay this way till eternity , providing more space to a film maker to express himself/herself creatively so that we can watch something beyond the regular masala that has been served to us until now.



The Film starts with multiple people receiving random phone calls from a wrong number ,the girls voice on the other side asks them to see her at 9,most of the people hang up expecting it to be a prank call, but our hero (Romeo) decides to play along and fixes up a place where those two can meet, what follows next is basically Audition meets Sisters (Brian de Palma), one thing that I immediately noticed was the quality of cinematography for a budget like that of this film, it was quite good, the grainy and bleached out texture of the film adds to the atmosphere.


Yes it is a flawed film and derivative one too ,it does go through the most common mistake a novice film maker commits ie not following the rule : Don’t use Dialogues to express things which can be visually understood by the audience. But those are minor quibbles, until you are looking for substance in a film otherwise the acting is better than average, Cinematography is top notch, Direction is pretty decent for a first timer.. the film is a labor of love, it’s a well executed piece of work, although it went un-noticed at the time of its release, I am sure this film will gain a cult status in the future , any given day I will prefer watching this film over a Dhoom2 or Jhoom Barabar Jhoom..





ps : IF You ARe Squimish and are easily offended by blood and gore..AVoId this film, its an exploitation cinema done right and it has a niche Audience ,these films are not for everybody's taste..so please dont take my write up at its face value and look at the images that i have posted..if you are in for it,go ahead watch it and enjoy

डोले शोले

Anotomy is so much fun..did some sketches today..also tried a different style in the 3rd one..