Saturday, May 2, 2009
Violin for the Soul
I never had an inclination towards the Violin....But ever since i heard Escala - The All-Female Classical Quartet, I was stunned. http://www.escalamusic.com/index.php
I sat agape. The music was so soothing.
Then i retraced my steps. Bond (music band) is the first female quartet.
They play the violin, viola and the cello so smoothly. Feels like heaven.
It is sheer fun to see them play in unison and create such powerful music. Music which could sway anyone's heart and melt it. http://www.bondmusic.net/
This only proves that women, if they put all their determination can create what only some can dare :-)
Hats off to them ....... ( I love the way they play the Allegretto)
I sat agape. The music was so soothing.
Then i retraced my steps. Bond (music band) is the first female quartet.
They play the violin, viola and the cello so smoothly. Feels like heaven.
It is sheer fun to see them play in unison and create such powerful music. Music which could sway anyone's heart and melt it. http://www.bondmusic.net/
This only proves that women, if they put all their determination can create what only some can dare :-)
Hats off to them ....... ( I love the way they play the Allegretto)
Realism in Movies
Do movies like "Straight" ,"Little Zizou", "Long Life, Prosperity and Happiness" tell us that movie goers are changing and there is no line between Art and Commercial Cinema? Well, one thing is true, movie goers are changing a lot. They want more...much like the theme of "Pepsi".....Yeh Dil Maange more .... They want more in terms of creativity, the Indian cinema goers want to satiate their movie tastebuds with more niche movies. Add to it there are production companies like UTV or smaller entertainment companies who are funding such small-budget movies.
Back in the 90's such movies would be screened only at film festivals and typically categorized as "Art" cinema...not anymore..
Why ? What has caused this transformation.
It is primarily due to the fact that the audience is more educated. The explosion of the cable TV into the living rooms of the average middle class is encouraging people to go beyond their imagination to not just "watch" movies but also the asking the audience to "perceive" and "feel" it.
When people saw "Hyderabad Blues" they wanted more of such kind....Why ? because they could connect to the characters The experiences of an NRI engineer was so similar to the many others who came to India to search for an Indian bride. The main character played by Nagesh Kukunoor wanted to defy his parents and marry only out of his choice.... his thoughts were very similar to many ...because gone are those days when parents impose arranged marriages. This movie worked not only for the educated youth ..(because they wanted such movies which would identify with their emotions...which would reflect the travails of many engineers who go abroad for work...but at the end of the day are tied by the Indian traditions). Such movies just tell us that there are many people in this world have similar experiences.
Every year nearly 10,000 students graduate from universities equipped with degrees in engineering, science or the arts. This number says a lot. With the easy access to internet, good education systems, even reality programmes people want a little more realism in movies. They want the alphabet "A" to appear as an "A". They won't take any other alphabet.
Take for instance the movie "Little Zizou". The movie was made by a Parsi , had predominantly Parsi actors and the movie showed the social mores of Parsis. You might wonder who was the movie directed to ..... It wanted movie goers to understand what a close-knit community like the Parsi feels about its customs, do they want to defy their norms?
If this was made a decade earlier, I don't think i would get an opportunity to see it. But with the easy access of the internet I could see this movie.
The fact that there is a constant fight between fundamentalism and liberalism shown in the movie. But the attempt to show this was a win in itself. It had a hint of realism. This is what we, as a younger generation want. Realism !
When i saw this movie i realised, especially in the last couple of years there has been a spurt of niche movies created which not only satisfies the hunger of the director but also caters to an audience who wants different movies.
Decades ago, only directors like Shyam Benegal, Adoor Gopalakrishnan made movies which were called "Art" films. Now if a movie with the same social message as those made in the 80's is made it is called "Multiplex" movies. And yes, thanks to the multiplex, thanks to call-center working generation, thanks to the educated youth we have directors who are coming out with tasteful movies which might not be commerically successful but it helps cater to an audience like me who wants simple details of life projected in the films.
There is one more question though that remains unanswered, is there is a line between "Art" and "Commercial " cinema?
Yes, there still is a line .... inspite of the doze of realism , we still love "Hope" and "Fantasy" to make our lives believable. Movies like "Billu Barber" or for that matter "Spiderman" just tell us to go beyond the realm of realism. In order to break the monotony of the social rigors of life, we need such fodder which is so unreal yet gives us hope to dream that Life is beautiful, very achievable and very believable.
( To the respectable reader that reads this blog: This is my first attempt at putting my random thoughts down...It definitely won't look structured :-) but it is my sincere attempt to show what i feel. Also constructive criticism would be most appreciated. )
Back in the 90's such movies would be screened only at film festivals and typically categorized as "Art" cinema...not anymore..
Why ? What has caused this transformation.
It is primarily due to the fact that the audience is more educated. The explosion of the cable TV into the living rooms of the average middle class is encouraging people to go beyond their imagination to not just "watch" movies but also the asking the audience to "perceive" and "feel" it.
When people saw "Hyderabad Blues" they wanted more of such kind....Why ? because they could connect to the characters The experiences of an NRI engineer was so similar to the many others who came to India to search for an Indian bride. The main character played by Nagesh Kukunoor wanted to defy his parents and marry only out of his choice.... his thoughts were very similar to many ...because gone are those days when parents impose arranged marriages. This movie worked not only for the educated youth ..(because they wanted such movies which would identify with their emotions...which would reflect the travails of many engineers who go abroad for work...but at the end of the day are tied by the Indian traditions). Such movies just tell us that there are many people in this world have similar experiences.
Every year nearly 10,000 students graduate from universities equipped with degrees in engineering, science or the arts. This number says a lot. With the easy access to internet, good education systems, even reality programmes people want a little more realism in movies. They want the alphabet "A" to appear as an "A". They won't take any other alphabet.
Take for instance the movie "Little Zizou". The movie was made by a Parsi , had predominantly Parsi actors and the movie showed the social mores of Parsis. You might wonder who was the movie directed to ..... It wanted movie goers to understand what a close-knit community like the Parsi feels about its customs, do they want to defy their norms?
If this was made a decade earlier, I don't think i would get an opportunity to see it. But with the easy access of the internet I could see this movie.
The fact that there is a constant fight between fundamentalism and liberalism shown in the movie. But the attempt to show this was a win in itself. It had a hint of realism. This is what we, as a younger generation want. Realism !
When i saw this movie i realised, especially in the last couple of years there has been a spurt of niche movies created which not only satisfies the hunger of the director but also caters to an audience who wants different movies.
Decades ago, only directors like Shyam Benegal, Adoor Gopalakrishnan made movies which were called "Art" films. Now if a movie with the same social message as those made in the 80's is made it is called "Multiplex" movies. And yes, thanks to the multiplex, thanks to call-center working generation, thanks to the educated youth we have directors who are coming out with tasteful movies which might not be commerically successful but it helps cater to an audience like me who wants simple details of life projected in the films.
There is one more question though that remains unanswered, is there is a line between "Art" and "Commercial " cinema?
Yes, there still is a line .... inspite of the doze of realism , we still love "Hope" and "Fantasy" to make our lives believable. Movies like "Billu Barber" or for that matter "Spiderman" just tell us to go beyond the realm of realism. In order to break the monotony of the social rigors of life, we need such fodder which is so unreal yet gives us hope to dream that Life is beautiful, very achievable and very believable.
( To the respectable reader that reads this blog: This is my first attempt at putting my random thoughts down...It definitely won't look structured :-) but it is my sincere attempt to show what i feel. Also constructive criticism would be most appreciated. )
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