Jodhaa Akbar

Jodhaa Akbar. The first movie of Aishwarya Rai after she became Aishwarya Bachchan and in the promos she looks absolutely breathtaking. And Hrithik in the garb of Akbar does not look one bit of the Akbar I know from the Amar Chitra Kathas.

But this, as Ashutosh Gowarikar has already claimed, has his brand of imagination. But how much licence does a film maker have in using his imagination in making a movie? Can he use his creative touch and interpret the lives of historical characters? He definitely does not have the right to distort history or malign the character of individuals if he does not have enough proof to substantiate such.

The Rajputs of Rajasthan are incensed by the movie so much so that the movie makers and distributors have wisely decided against exhibiting the film in Rajasthan. There have been other quarters too protesting against the film which they say has not only distorted History but also glorifies the promiscuity of the Mughals in general and Akbar in particular.

The movie itself is a good three and a half hour one and the first 20 minutes of the movie is a drag except for the narration of Amitabh Bachchan. A three and a half hour movie!! That seems too long to spend in a movie theatre but this is nothing to beat the 87 hour long movie " The Cure for Insomnia".

Let us wait and see how this movie is received by the masses, though period and historical movies have not been welcomed much, as has been seen with the Ashoka and other experiments.

Taare Zameen Par

Oh What a movie!! A very moving, realistic one. Aamir Khan, the perfectionist he is, has done extremely well in his debut as the director. The child, Darsheel Safary is too good, what expressions. A knock-out performance. The parents of Ishaan too have acted very well, Tisca Chopra is very beautiful indeed. A moving movie. Music by Shankar Ehsaan Loy too very catchy. Some songs, lyrics and music all make an impact.

It is the journey of an eight year old which you travel through the movie, share his frustrations, apprehensions, and all the emotions and in the end, it leaves you feeling joyful and uplifted. Aamir Khan is a thoughtful, silent, observing, director who does not overdo. Even sarcasm is underplayed which leaves a very strong mark on the audience. A very special movie with the tagline, "Every Child is Special".

Films of Desire: Sexuality and Cinematic Imagination

It makes interesting reading the reviews of the films to be staged in the "Creating Resources for Empowerment in Action" organized by The South and Southeast Asia Resource Centre on Sexuality and Moving Images And The International Centre to be held in PANAJI, GOA between July 14-15, 2007. The event, Films of Desire: Sexuality and the Cinematic Imagination, a one day event, will focus on Southeast Asian Cinema and will feature inter alia Screenings of features, short films, documentaries, animation, music videos and experimental films that engage with ideas of sexuality in South and Southeast Asia. Discussions around the different ways in which desires get articulated, normative and non-normative representations of sexualities and how filmmakers' intentions may be displaced by multiple readings by the audience.

This seems to be an interesting event in The International Centre,Goa,Goa University Road , Dona Paula on 14 July between 4 pm to 8 pm and on 15 July between 4 pm to 8.30 pm. The details can be procured from the website

A brief outline of some of the movies to be showcased in the two day festival and their review-

BEAUTIFUL BOXER, Ekachai Uekrongtham , 118 minutes/ Thai with English subtitles/ 2003/ Thailand

Based on the real life story of Parinya Charoenphol, a Muaythai boxer who underwent a sex change operation to become a woman. The movie chronicles her life from a young boy who likes to wear lipstick and wear flowers to her sensational career as a kick boxer whose specialty is ancient Muaythai boxing moves which she can execute expertly with grace and finally her confrontation with her own sexuality which led to her sex change operation.

LOVE FOR SHARE , Nia Dinata, 120 minutes/ Bahasa Indonesia with English subtitles/ 2006/ Indonesia .

The film is an intriguing portrait of polygamous lifestyles in contemporary Jakarta. A gynecologist Salma discovers, to her shock, that her husband has taken a second wife. She tolerates successive wives as'a good Muslim wife'should, until an incident forces her to cater to everyone in his circle. Siti, a country girl, realizes too late that her uncle, who has moved her to Jakarta with the promise of sending her to beauty school, has other intentions. In a packed household, Siti's hope for survival rests in her growing intimacy with one of her uncle's other wives.And Ming,a waitress and material girl, contrives to become her Catholic boss' second wife. The lives of these three women from different classes and ethnic backgrounds intersect as the similarities in their stories are revealed.

SEA IN THE BLOOD, Richard Fung, 26 minutes/ English/ 2000/ Canada.

An intensely moving personal essay about living in the shadow of illness, Sea in the Blood explores two of Fung's closest relationships — with his late sister Nan, who died in 1977 of a rare blood disorder called thalassemia (which literally means 'sea in the blood'), and with his lifelong lover, Tim, who has been living with HIV since 1980.

STRAY CATS , Ellen Ongkeko-Marfil, 115 min/ Filipino, Tagalog & English with English subtitles/ 2005/ Philippines.

The film follows the parallel love lives of Marta,a middle-aged advertising executive, and her gay friend and duplex landlord, Boyet. Both are waiting for the men who they believe will fulfill their hopes and dreams. Boyet writes romance novels inspired by Marta's idiosyncratic anxieties about Steve, her noncommittal boyfriend. Hoping that Steve will eventually ask her to settle down,Marta is quietly envious of Boyet's 'family' —his adopted son, Jojo, a 15-year-old pickpocket, and Dom, his financially dependent lover. Willing to play the stereotypical roles of woman and gay man, Marta and Boyet embrace their hopeful fantasies. All these hopes
turn out to be illusions, however, and as they mature they decide to take matters into their own hands.

THE MATCHMAKER, Cinzia Puspita Rini, 10 minutes/ Indonesian with
English subtitles/ 2006/ Indonesia

A simple story about Kay, an eclectic girl with both beauty and sweetness and a guy who seems to fall for her.Their eyes locked and she had him besotted since the first second he saw her, in his bookstore. The simple yet charming guy, named Darren owns a bookstore and she is quite a regular customer. A conversation over the book she ordered actually begins what we think as a start of a romantic journey. While, Kay is cooking a master plan which involves Darren in her own mind, they enjoy their times together. A week after their first meeting, Kay decides to launch her master plan.

These are but a few of the movies to be showcased. Should be a double bonanza if one heads to Goa now, a nice holiday and the added attraction of the movies. Anyone game for it?

Disney and Indian History

So Disney is going to produce a film on Indian History by this year end. This film is supposed to be from the Aryan invasion to independence and to be shot in Nitin Desai's Karjat Studio. There are others too planning to film in India including Tanovic and Warner Brothers.

And people have already started making noises for and against the film to be produced by Disney. When we think about the pros and cons of having a foreign body making Indian films, one wonders why a company like Disney is even thinking of making an Indian film on a contentious topic like Indian History while movies like Mangal Pandey made by Indians themselves had to bear the brunt of large scale protest.One wrong move and it could be disastrous.

Think about the advantages, this is one sure way fo making Indian History popular.These companies can use the print and electronic media to the maximum to get the most possible footage for their film. The target is India and Indians. Millions and millions are invested in media and ad aggression. Brands created to sell the end product the movie. All the interested get business and profits.Ultimately, India could be the winner in both ways.

One has to wait and watch as to how this turns