Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Bollywood and Oscars


Barfi and its nomination to the Oscars have been talk of Bollywood for the past few days. Questions were raised whether the movie is deserving enough to go to Oscars when compared to its competitors like Gangs of Wasseypur, Pan Singh Tomar and others.
 
But before we raise any doubts against Barfi, let us have a run through of how many movies and what were the movies which actually made it to the floors of Oscars.
 Lagaan: The 2001 release directed by Ashutosh Gowarikar rewrote the history with Lagaan. The movie was commercially and critically accepted by audience across the country. After its release, the movie proved to be a success on the international scale as well. Lagaan became the third ever movie to be selected for the Oscars from India
 Mother India- The 1957 movie directed by Mehoboob Khan was a path breaker. The movie swept away several awards including an International Award (Nargis Dutt became the first Indian to receive the Best Actress award at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival).  The film was India's first submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1958 and was chosen as one of the five nominations for the category.
Salaam Bombay: After Mother India, we had to wait for 30 years to get another nomination in the Oscars. Salaam Bombay directed by Mira Nair is a master piece even today. After all New York Times listed the movie among the ‘The Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made’.  Apart from the National accolades, the movie had also won international awards like the Golden Camera Award and the Audience Award of Cannes Film Festival.

Today, nearly after a decade, another of our own cinema has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
 
Barfi is a simple and light hearted movie which is highly appreciated by the critics. But when it comes to an Oscar, fingers are being raised against it.
When we look back, the movies which were selected for the Golden Man was either periodic or real life based.
 
Barfi had competitors like The Dirty Picture, Gangs of Wasseypur and Pan Singh Tomar which actually took away most of the credits from the audience and the critics equally. Also they are far more realistic when compared to Barfi. But could that be the only reason why Barfi should not get selected for the Oscars?
 
Well, looking at our history, more than criticizing the movie that got selected, it would be better we could rejoice the fact that a movie from India has finally made it to the Oscar floors nearly after a decade.  


Franchises come and go: returns and reboot in today’s Sequel Bits.


 
 
The internet world has been doing rounds of rumors on what’s in and which movie sequel is being laid on the table.

Avatar 2 and 3 are certainly coming, but the impeccable film maker James Cameron isn’t rushing. The Director talked a lot about shooting at a higher frame rate and he also believes that China will, in the next five years, be as lucrative a movie marketplace as North America. James Cameron might add Chinese Na'vi to Avatar 2.

Jackie Chan, the said to be soon-retired action star might return with Police Story 2013. Would you show up to see Chan doing his best: action and humor?

Arguably they are the most controversial stars on and off screens-Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan share a bed in the first still from Scary Movie 5. You think the duo will scare the hell out of you on screen? Maybe in person!

Paramount is hoping Tom Cruise’s Jack Reacher will start its own franchise, and mark the beginning of a franchise focus at the studio.

The list of stars for Expendables 3 keep on increasing as producer Avi Lerner keep mentioning names he wants for The Expendables 3: Clint Eastwood, Nicholas Cage, Harrison Ford, the return of Mickey Rourke etc.

Though, a sequel to 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later, 28 Months Later, no longer looks likely.
 
 

KOLLYWOOD’S TOP 5

The actors of recent times, who have mesmerized us the most so far…
 
 
There are those actors who have always impressed us. FRIDAYMOVIEZ gives its K-Town verdict on the top 5 actors of this year, so far -
 
The first in the list is all-time favorite and upcoming movie special role player, Ajith Kumar. The Richard Gere of Kollywood began his career as a supporting actor in a Telugu film before gaining critical recognition in the Tamil thriller ‘Aasai’. A succession of high-grossing films followed where Ajith was usually depicted as a romantic hero, with ‘Kadhal Kottai’ and ‘Kadhal Mannan’ being the most notable. He later forayed into method acting, as seen in ‘Vaali’, ‘Mugavaree’, ‘Kandukondain Kandukondain’ and ‘Citizen’ before establishing himself as an action hero with popular films including ‘Amarkalam’, ‘Dheena’,Villain’, ‘Varalaru’,  ‘Billa’ and ‘Mankatha’.
 
Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar, better known mononymously as Vijay, is the son of film producer and director S. A. Chandrasekhar. After performing un-credited roles as a child actor in films produced by his father, he made his debut in a lead role in the 1992 film ‘Naalaya Theerpu’. Since then, he acted in several films of action and romance genres. He has also worked as a playback singer in several of his films, as well as a few films starring other actors. During his career in the Tamil film industry, he has won two Tamil Nadu State Film Awards and one Filmfare Award.
 
BROTHERS IN ARMS -
Suriya born as Saravanan Sivakumar tarred in his claim-to-fame films, ‘Nandha’, ‘Kaakha Kaakha’, ‘Ghajini’ and ‘Singam’. With three Filmfare awards under his belt, there is little that this star has not achieved at a young age! Commendable indeed.  Karthi, Suriya’s younger brother joined Mani Ratnam as an assistant director. He was offered acting roles and made his acting debut in ‘Paruthiveeran’ in 2007 as the titular character, a careless village rowdy, winning critical acclaim and several accolades including the Filmfare Award for Best Actor and a Tamil Nadu State Film Award. His next role was a coolie in ‘Aayirathil Oruvan’ and achieved consecutive commercial successes with his subsequent releases ‘Paiyaa’, ‘Naan Mahaan Alla’ and ‘Siruthai’.
 
Lastly, one of our favourites Vikram. The ‘Thaandavam’ is the outstanding winner of five Filmfare Awards and one National Film Award and Tamil Nadu State Film Award amongst other recognitions. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by People's University of Milan in May, 2011. Vikram is known for his intense performances, with his work often fetching critical acclaim and commercial success.


Man of many faces: Kamal Haasan











Versatile actor and K-town director, singer, writer, dancer, composer and producer, Kamal Haasan, a Padmashri Award holder, is the most decorated actor in Indian cinema.
 
We have seen him prove his versatility through his films, ‘Hindustani’, ‘Hey Ram’, ‘Abhay’, ‘Sadma’ in Bollywood. And his accolades down South beat this number hands down. Audiences across the globe are awaiting his Diwali release this year, ‘Vishwaroopam’ which created a huge hype since its first look launch, itself.
  
In addition to all his attributes he also manages to scoop the time to fulfill his ambitions of being a lyricist, playback singer and choreographer. Kamal Haasan holds the record for the most National Film Awards for an actor – 4 National Awards. Three Awards for Best Actor and one for Best Child Artiste.
 
Kamal holds a record for nineteen Filmfare Awards - ranging across five languages – Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, Kannada and Telugu. After his latest award in 2000, he wrote to the Nation film awards organization to exempt him from any further awards.
 
Kamal's other recognitions include a string of Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, Nandi Awards and Vijay Awards, in which Haasan won four separate awards for his contribution in the movie, ‘Dasavathaaram’.


Two Kollywood Picks!

Tamil films compete in the Oscar race this year!






In the past, Tamil films like ‘Jeans’,
The South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce (SIFCC) has appointed a 16 member jury that will meet this week to nominate the Indian entry for the Oscars this year in the category of the 'Best Foreign Film'.
The news is that Kollywood films, '7aam Arivu' and 'Vazhakku Enn 18/9' are in the list of movies that are in the race for the honors. A representative of SIFCC said that both these films were appreciated critically for their novelty.
 
The entire shortlisted selection from India, includes critically acclaimed hits like 'Barfi’, ‘The Dirty Picture', 'Kahaani', 'Gangs of Wasseypur', 'Ferrari Ki Sawari' in Hindi, from Bollywood and 'Eega' in Telugu.
 
We will have to wait and see which of these have the privilege of representing India at the prestigious Academy Awards.




REEL-LIFE ROMANCES


Which is the best on screen pair that you can remember? No doubt, many will say Kamal Haasan-Sridevi, Sivaji-Padmini or MGR-Saroja Devi. Yes, these are legendary screen pairs, but we are not talking about them. We are looking at those young pairs of our times that have made a big impact, that have managed to look like the perfect couple on screen, those who have managed to leave an impression in our hearts.
 
Let’s take a look at the most lovable screen romances of recent times.
 
Pair: Arya and Pooja
Film: Oram Po
Though they have done four movies together, this is perhaps their most effective combination to date. The film was not a big hit, but it did manage to generate positive vibes. Their relationship was not the normal hero-heroine type. It was in fact crass romance; somewhere it appealed very much to the audience. The sparkling chemistry in the movie also started off some very strong rumors regarding the lead pair.
 
Pair: Vikram and Trisha
This was admiration turning into romance. Not the youthful college kind of romance, but something that had more depth to it. The combination worked really well, especially in the songs. Trisha appeared both as the young possessive lover and the understanding wife in different phases of the movie. Both of them were well portrayed. In fact, it had such an impact that Trisha was referred to as ‘Mami’ by a section of the fans and media for quite some time.
 
Pair: Vijay and Trisha
Film: Ghilli
This was one classic case where love is left unexpressed dangerously till the climax. We knew that the heroine wouldn’t fly leaving the hero behind, but there was sense of apprehension in the final moments before Trisha finally appeared. Love that goes untold and unknown has a charm that connects instantly to a large section of the people. The audience empathize with the tongue tied lover who is not able to open his heart or who realized too late that the feeling he had in his heart was love indeed.
 
Pair: Madhavan and Shalini
Film: Alai Paayuthey
Mani Ratnam romances are special to watch. The relationships that he depicts have so much depth that one wants to live the life of the on screen characters. ‘Alai Paayuthe’ was no different. A software techie-doctor pair is not very common; in fact, it is almost non-existent (pardon if there are any real life couples). But it looked so real in the movie. They way they met and then fell in love were pure joy to watch. Rahman’s romantic tunes made the love story even more endearing.
 
Pair: Ajith and Devayani
Film: Kadhal kottai
This was not about the lead pair’s chemistry, in fact they do not meet for most part of the film. That was the factor that set apart this romance. This started off a trend of sorts of relationships that developed irrespective of distance and other barriers. The fancy of such an unconventional romance remained in the audience heart for a while.
 
Pair: Vijay and Shalini
Film: Kadhalukku Mariyadhai
This is perhaps the most celebrated love story of our times. A beautiful tale of two people who are made for each other but resist their feelings for the sake of their families. But, love, especially if destined in one’s life, will happen. No matter what the circumstances are. The movie stated in a very cute way that true love will always get its due from the family and society, it will never go unrecognized. The film created a huge impact among the youngsters, so much so that they names of the lead characters in the film – Jeeva and Mini – remain etched in the memories.


Vikram’s Giant Leap of Faith: Thaandavam

Vikram's movies have always been treating the audiences with its huge opening and multiple, back-to-back shows in theatres. 'Anniyan', the most expensive south Indian film was released with over four hundred prints all over India. Whereas 'Raavanan' overtook this with its worldwide release, in more than three thousand theatres.




Now it's the turn for much-awaited Vikram starrer 'Thaandavam' which is planned to take a giant leap with the biggest release ever recorded in USA screens. This movie will be released in more than forty locations including all major cities in USA. Arkansas, Omaha NE, Des Moines Iowa, St Louis MO etc. are also expected to screen the movie.
 
Out of all the other films starring Vikram, this clean ‘U’ certified film, 'Thaandavam' will be the biggest and the most anticipated movie hitting screens worldwide on September 28.
 
Director Vijay had been frantic for the past few days, to get the final print of UTV Motion Pictures ready.
 
With the release date nearing, quiz him if he is anxious about the movie's result, and he says, “This film has been a huge challenge. We've focused on a new concept; have a huge star cast and the best of technicians onboard. But, we had to face a lot of hurdles. The London weather wasn't too kind with us. And then, we had to discredit a lot of rumors like how the script of the film wasn't mine and how certain footages that we shot abroad were lost. I must say, we've survived and strived hard, and I hope the audience like what they see on screen”.