Let Me Tell You a Story: Kahaani

IMDB | TRAILER

Another movie that dares to center its story around a strong female character, Kahaani was a surprise hit that Indian audiences loved even more than similarly "daring" English Vinglish. 

The female hero, Vidya Bagchi, is played by one of India's most talented actresses of our times, Vidya Balan. The London-based NRI (non-residant-Indian) computer programmer is searching for her husband, who has been missing ever since he went to Kolkata/ Calcutta for an assignment. Advanced in pregnancy, Vidya roams the streets of the crowded city that is busy with preparations for the yearly celebration of the goddess Kaali. Even though she finds a helpful companion in police inspector Rana, - who soon falls for the stubborn beauty - Vidya finds that it's not going to be easy to find her husband: there is no trace of him in the city whatsoever.

 

Surely, Kahaani wouldn't have been the same movie without the strong performance of Vidya Balan, just like English Vinglish couldn't have worked as well as it does with any other actress than Sridevi in the lead. Vidya brings just the right amounts of strength and vulnerability to her character, who seems both lost and determined in the narrow streets of Kolkata. No supporting character or actor stands a proper chance beside her, although Parambrata Chatterjee is sweet in the role of the innocent police inspector. The brilliant character actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui also has a small role that manages to capture the viewer in his short screen time. But what really makes Kahaani stand out, especially among other Indian films of the thriller/ mystery genre, is the well-told story. We don't know more than Vidya does, and the short flashback clip rather confuses than helps solve any of the mysteries. There's also a twist that I dare say nobody ever saw coming, which makes the female hero even more special - but no spoilers at this point. People have praised Kahaani for delivering a surprisingly exact and realistic portrayal of the city of Kolkata itself, which is often depicted in a less coaxing way. The movie doesn't conceal the flaws and the dirt of the city, but it gives a more multisided impression of the city and thus is very far from the so-called "poverty-porn". Indian mythology is cleverly woven into the plot yet there's no patriotism - a welcome exception. This way, Kahaani finds a balance between many extremes that Indian movies like to use and finds a good balance between a suspenseful plot with western inspirations and an Indian "soul". The only drawback is the still rather long running time of two hours - I felt that some parts could've been edited out in order to keep up the pace.

STRAWBERRY

Kahaani is a must-watch for fans of Indian cinema, since it delivers a felicitous mixture of many currently trending elements of the industry. The lack of song-and-dance and the Hollywood-inspired narration may also please an audience outside the Indian film scene. 

This post is part of the "2012 Bollywood Essentials".

The New Language of Indian Cinema: English Vinglish

Essential HINDI Films of 2012

IMDB | TRAILER

The simple yet absolutely wonderful movie of English Vinglish was already the 8th Hindi movie of 2012 I watched, but it's safe to say that this is where my journey in 2012's Hindi movies started for real, as it had been a while since I had seen the disappointing Oscar submisson Barfi! and the awesome double-movie Gangs of Wasseypur. The other 6 movies were mainly unnoticed ones that range anywhere between lime explosion and hybrid. I created a little list of 2012 Hindi movies that I'd describe as being "essential" for the common Bollywood fan/ viewer, and as I climb up the ladder to reach comprehension and up-to-date-ness, I'll update and enlighten you as well, the dear readers of my blog. That is, those who are interested in Indian movies - a topic I've not been writing about as much lately, but that motivated me to actually create a blog in the first place.

English Vinglish is a movie full of surprises, the first one being the actual story. It's the story of a woman. A middle-aged woman. And not only a woman, but a housewife. Bingo. All these three subjects are rarely the center of a Hindi movie and therefore I had been thrilled to watch the movie from the moment I heard about it. Sridevi, a classic star of Indian cinema whom nobody probably had expected to see again in anything but the role of a mother, proves that there's a place for middle-aged heroines too, and that there's an audience that actually wants to see them. Especially when they're as relatable and down-to-earth as her overly sweet and innocent Indian housewife Shashi, who struggles with her English and gets mocked for this by her husband and children. Especially her young daughter, an A+ English student, is ashamed by her mother who seems uneducated and stupidly suburban to her. One day, Shashi discovers an unexpected opportunity to (im)prove her independence, as her niece invites the family to her wedding in NYC. Since Shashi is all free to go, she decides to leave for the preparations a month before the rest of the family, although it takes some time to convince her husband of the idea.
Once arrived in the US, Shashi is met by many an uncomfortable situation, but is also deeply fascinated by the American lifestyle. While her sister is at work and her niece at college, Shashi decides to join a 4-week English course where she meets the helpful (and sexily French) Laurent, who is highly attracted to the intelligent, older-than-him housewife in her dashing sari.

While pairing a middle-aged Bollywood A-star with a fresh-as-a-mango newcomer is a common thing in Hindi movies, the mature "heroine" mostly has to settle with her role as a mother. There were some few exceptions, as in the 2001 classic Dil Chahta Hai, but otherwise it remains a tabu. Not even the slightest possibility of a happy ending, though if you would like to know whether English Vinglish breaks this tabu as well, you'll have to watch the movie yourself. The important thing is that it dares sketch a relationship between to persons from two very different cultures, the woman being older than the man. And perhaps even more important is the fact that this is never an issue in the movie at all - the only thing Shashi worries about is her marriage and her values. So the movie is left with various opportunities to create a sexual tension between the two, which it utilizes often enough - Laurent being French and all.

In this respect,  hope that English Vinglish will open a lot of new doors in Bollywood or even the Indian film industry in general. Doors for female directors (actually most film industries could gain from that, although I'm guilty myself, wanting to become a journalist instead of a director), doors for mature female actors in the lead, doors for new stories and new perspectives. Change is happening already. Many female actors that have been called "newcomers" are already in their late twenties, while 30 has long been the date of expiry date for them. There's only one thing I can say to that: Sridevi sure as hell didn't look expired in this one.

Final Frame: STRAWBERRY

A refreshing movie that explores the boundaries of Hindi cinema in a suprisingly traditional way. Melodramatic as it may be in times, and some stereotypes aside, this is a triumph for the Indian woman.

The Cate Blanchett Essentials, #1 / 5

Here it is now, the pompous piece that closes the chapter of The Cate Blanchett Essentials and deserves its position entirely.

Elizabeth (1998) Shekhar Kapur

IMDB: 7.5 - RT: 82/85

The reason

„There are countless reasons: Indian director, Cate's breakthrough, acclamation, period drama and so on. I should have seen this one a long time ago.“

The Cate Blanchett Essentials, #3 / 5

It is with great regret that I have to announce the failure of my goal of watching all of the Cate Blanchett Essentials before christmas. However, it's only the #1 that's still missing from my list of watched movies, as I managed to squeeze the following film into my busy december schedule:

Coffee and Cigarettes (2003) Jim Jarmusch

IMDB: 6.9 - RT: 64% / 74%

The reason

„Because it sounds crazy and eclectic enough to not just be a depressing modern black-and-white movie. And because everyone says Cate's segment is their favourite.“

The Cate Blanchett Essentials, #2 / 5

Notes on a Scandal (2006) Richard Eyre

IMDB: 7.5 - RT: 87% / 81%

The reason

„I watched the making of a long time ago and thought it sounded extremely intriguing. Okay, maybe I have a weakness for films like this - they are just so interesting, psychologically - but I've actually heard that this one is supposed to be very good.“

The Cate Blanchett Essentials, #5 / 5

Read more about The Cate Blanchett Essentials

Robin Hood (2010) Ridley Scott

IMDB: 6.7 - RT: 43% / 59%

Why I selected this film as one of the Cate Blanchett Essentials

„A friend of mine told me she found this movie fantastic, and even though our tastes differ at times, I think I'm actually going to like this one. I mean, it's Robin Hood! With Cate!“

The story

Good question. It's something about Robin Hood, who pretends to be the returned husband of Marion (Cate) so that she can stay in her father-in-laws house after his death. He also "confronts corruption" in the village and somehow "alters the balance of the world power", according to IMDB. The story was hard to get. 

The message

Surrender to anarchism!

The character

Marion is a typical Cate Blanchett character: "trapped" in a time when women didn't have many rights, she is loud and stubborn and knows what she wants. As she lost her husband to war one week after their marriage, there is also a vulnerable side to her which is longing for the love (from a man) she never got. 

Otherwise she is very self-confident and likes to do things her own way. 

Sadly, there's not much focus on her character so I can't think of much else to say about it.

The performance

This is closely connected with the character, so although Cate gives it a 100% and is convincing as always in her scenes, I had the feeling that she should have had more screen time. Russel Crowe is great too, no doubt, but I didn't find his Robin Hood a very interesting character. 

Marion on the other hand, offered much potential and had many layers. Of course this must have been easy for Cate, these kind of roles are just her thing.

The most impressive scene

When Robin goes to his friends house to tell the news of his death, and tells Marion first without knowing that it was her husband. Cate's reaction is very realistic, she is trying to seem calm and strong, but the shock is hard to hide.

It's a very short scene, but I was very impressed.

The blemish

The film was long-drawn and the story wasn't very interesting. It was either so boring that I didn't pay enough attention to understand the story, or the story was so un-understandable that the film became boring.

Does the film deserve to be called one of the Cate Blanchett Essentials?

No, I don't think so. I'm sure she has been in films that are more deserving of this honour, so I'm a little disappointed I chose this one instead of many others.

FINAL FRAME

The Cate Blanchett Essentials, #4 / 5

Read more about The Cate Blanchett Essentials

The Gift (2000) Sam Raimi

IMDB: 6.7 - RT: 56% / 56%

Why I selected this film as one of the Cate Blanchett Essentials

„Many people have recommended it for Cate's great performance (though this probably counts for all of these films), and... that's it, I think. I also like the title. My only fear is Katie Holmes, whom I've never liked in anything.“

Summing up on the Heavenly Creature

“ One actress that has been a role model and inspiration to me, both on-screen and off-screen, is Kate Winslet.“

This is how my contribution to the LAMB Acting School 101 starts. It's been a little more than four months now, since I promised to watch five particular Kate Winslet films before I turn 17 - and now there are only three days left! 

It is quite amusing to look at the list and remember how curious I was about finding out what lies behind those five images. How much has happened since then...

Has my view on Kate Winslet changed? Certainly. I can't say whether it's for the better or the worse, it has just changed. Before, she was this "period" actress that I loved, loved, loved, but couldn't really imagine in something more modern. Now, she is a very versatile and great actress that I love, love, love and want to see even more of. Even if the films were decent only, Kate was always the saving grace of my watching-experience - if it weren't for her, I might not have finished Hamlet.

There is one sad news before I start evaluating the films; I (ironically) haven't had the opportunity to watch Heavenly Creatures, because I don't want to watch it online just to watch it. But hopefully I'll get the DVD soon.

When I did my post, I listed the five films in "chronological, most-anticipated/"curiosifying" order; this time I'll list them in favorited-order and along with that I'll see if they have dropped (pretending that Heavenly Creatures isn't in the list, the films before will naturally not fall "more"):

A Heavenly Creature

This post is part of the LAMB Acting School 101 - Kate Winslet.

One actress that has been a role model and inspiration to me, both on-screen and off-screen, is Kate Winslet.
The film that introduced her to me was ex-most-successful-film-ever TITANIC, during the year that started my great passion for cinema for real: 2009 (I'm a late bloomer concerning this). I thought she was one of the most beautiful women on earth, and was impressed by her acting skills as well. Plus I've never since seen a (on-screen-)chemistry like the one she has with Leonardo in this film.

Kate is one of those few actresses that have the body of a goddess, and oddly enough, makes you feel very confident about your own one. She has appeared in various period films, and I remember her saying in an interview, that she can only explain the reason why she was chosen for these films must be that her body is perfectly apt for wearing a corset.