Bolly good time

Last night, the wife and I watched “Ishqiya”. Last week, we saw “Wake up, Sid” and “LSD”. All three are very good movies. Two are made by debutant directors, and the director of the third, Dibakar Banerjee, is only three films old. Will this period in history be looked back on as a golden age in Hindi cinema, I wonder? There have been so many good movies in the recent past, many of them by new film makers. “A Wednesday” and “Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na”, released last year, are other impressive movies made by first time directors.

What has changed since the time I was growing up? Why do so many more movies appeal to me now, than, say, ten years ago?

The language of our cinema has changed, and is more appealing to the young urban Indian – more everyday conversation and “underplay” rather than “overplay”. Filmy melodrama has been given the boot. Note that even tearful scenes nowadays very often end up with a twist of humour. Perhaps we have become apologetic about having a good unadulterated cry. Having a self deprecating laugh at the end of an emotional scene somehow makes the melodrama more acceptable. “Dil Chahta Hai” was a significant milestone in this journey. No one seems to say “Kutte Kameene! Tera khoon pee jaaoonga!” any more in our movies.

There is a rush of young directors, who have brought with them a much needed freshness to the business. When I was growing up, directors were men in their forties and fifties in safari suits. Now they are, quite often, men and women in their twenties and thirties in t-shirt and jeans. The younger generation no longer wants to spend a decade assisting someone before they strike out on their own. We no longer wait until middle age to buy a home, or make a movie.

While the average quality of movies has certainly gone up a notch, what I do miss a little bit is the “epic” movie with strong emotional content. Granted, the movie industry churned out a lot of crap in the seventies and eighties. But occasionally, there also came along a mind-blowing piece of emotionally charged cinema capable of producing goose-bumps and making the heart pump faster, even on repeat viewing. Are we capable of producing a “Shakti” or “Deewar” today, I wonder?

This minor point aside, I think it’s a great time for Hindi movie lovers.

Back home

The multi-coloured lights of the skyscrapers in Sydney's CBD adorn the night sky, as my train crosses the Harbour Bridge. In half an hour, I will be re-united with family after my week long India trip.

The two leg return flight via Singapore passed smoothly. I slept on the five hour night shift from Mumbai to Sing, having finally learnt that the handset has a Do not Disturb button.

The last day of the India trip was spent in Mumbai/Thane, to attend to some property matters. The work part completed, I treated myself to a head massage at a local haircutting saloon. Those who have experienced this with a barber in India may know that there comes a time in the routine, when the vibrating massage pad is held to one's ear, and a finger stuck inside it. The sensation that follows is simultaneously ticklish and very pleasurable. Not all barbers include this extra in their routine, but from my experience, most in Mumbai do. This barber, to my delight, was not an exception.

On the return flight, I managed to add two more movies to my previous tally of four notched up on the onward journey - "Blood Diamond" and "Sherlock Holmes". I was halfway through "Nine" and a sizzling hot number by Penelope Cruz when the crew announced our descent into Sydney.

*********************************

I don't know if it's parenthood or advancing years, but for a few years now, I find myself choking up during emotional moments in movies, which I saw through with a yawn and a smirk in the past. Must be finally getting in touch with my sensitive side.

In Bangalore

I am in the middle of a week long India trip, and am writing this at a little photocopying/internet browsing outlet (Rs. 10 only for 30 minutes) near my parents' home in Malleswaram.

Four days into my trip, I have ticked off the must dos (pani puri at Gangotri, some book and hindi movie DVD purchases, a bit of shopping for the kids, etc). Today we are off to visit some relatives, and will round off the day with dinner at a highly recommended restaurant with parents and mum in law.

The highlight of this Bangalore trip has been the newly built Mantri Square mall (claims to be India's largest mall - hmm...to be taken with a pinch of salt, I think) close to home in Malleswaram. It is a bit of a culture shock to see this new hip face of old Bangalore. It has most of the happening names in Indian retailing: Lifestyle, Shoppers Stop, an exclusive Tissot store, Taco Bell (I didn't know this existed here), Pantaloons, etc. Going by the crowds, the local residents seem to love it. Given the price tags, I am not sure how many people actually enter the place with an aim to buy, but at least it's a great place to spend a couple of hours on a hot summer afternoon.

Tomorrow, I am off to Mumbai to spend a day there, before getting back to Sydney on Friday night.

*****************************
I managed to catch up on a bit of recent Oscar fare on the flight to India: Hurt Locker, Blind Side, Up in the Air, and It's Complicated. Enjoyed Blind Side - sucker for predictable cinema about human goodness that I am.