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Jubilee (2023)
The finest web series of India. First of its kind.
Headline says all. The best and the finest that has been made in India for OTT.
Every positive reviews already have praised all the departments except one. Background score.
All are in praise of the songs by Amit Trivedi. Do one thing- skip over the songs, you will still enjoy the series but mute the background score, the intensity of the scenes and the tension building will be lost by 50%. Bravo Alokananda Dasgupta!
Advice from audience: please drop all the Khans Kumars Devgans Roshans. Take these fresh faces and more new faces please. - if you want to resurrect the Bollywood.
Climax: Prime is surpassing Methflix.
Hello Arsi (2018)
Rare thought provoking post-modernist gem from post 1999 super cyclone Odisha
'Hello Arsi' is an one man show. Yes. I can guarantee people who have worked in it are doing worse when they are working with others. The same actors, the same cameraman, the same editor has not produce any such product till now which can reflect or prove that they possess such aesthetic sensibility as demonstrated in Hello Arsi. Yes, I repeat, it is a director's work, Sambit Mohanty's finest vision that controls everything in the movie. But it is very unfortunate that after all this, the producer's name is mentioned at the top of supplied film brochure which was circulated today at Jayadev Bhawan where the film was screened for public on the occasion of Late Sambit Mohanty's birthday. Even when the crew was felicitated, the producer was first to get hold of bouquet and memento.
People don't know- People who usually remain silent are most noisy in their heads (they constantly talk with themselves/ or may be with their souls) I have heard Late Sambit Mohanty was a moody silent introverted person. And those noise of his head are the dialogues of this movie. 'Hello Arsi' is very well made minimalist movie. The vibe it gives, the feelings it generates are usually common in Iranian European art house cinema. Witnessing the same in an Odia movie was a proud moment for me.
The film has almost zero happenings. Two characters are travelling on a highway in the backdrop of factories, industries, and smoke emitting chimneys, and they are conversing - with each other or might be with themselves. Are they lost, where are they going, what are they doing, what will they do if they ever manage to reach somewhere, and who really are they.. what their story is- we, the audience, like the characters, wonder around cluelessly for meaning in the movie or even outside the movies.
The film has depth, it is highly thought provoking but has two problems in my opinion. The acting was forced. It seems the actors, devoid of previous similar experiences, are clueless about how to handle this type of material. While Prakruti Mishra has shown enough maturity in handling it, Parthasarathi Ray was not able to convince me. Another area which troubled me was the thought-provoking aspect itself. The film was jam-packed with dialogues which doesn't allow audience to stop thinking. I mean even Shakespearean tragedies have occasional comic relief in them. But every dialogue after another in Hello Arsi is quotable and philosophically so rich that it becomes tiring after a while so much so that you lose interest or urge to take a break. Such kind of movies usually have silences in them but Hello Arsi has hardly such silences where you can breathe for a moment or two.
I understand, Hello Arsi was posthumously released. Its director was not there to supervise film's post production. I am sure if the man was alive, it would have been a flawless Odia movie of the state. I am really sad Odisha has lost such a great mind. I wonder how many more great movies a man of such calibre could have delivered.
Congratulations, Sambit Mohanty. Sir, I am sure you have found the chirping bird somewhere far and beyond the highway.
Adieu Godard (2021)
hello Godard!
I was watching a film one day when our maid came to clean the room. "Telugu film dekhucha! Bujhi parucha?" I was actually watching a Tamil film and I informed her about the subtitles. I have heard people don't like subtitles as they feel uncomfortable looking up and down constantly. Hence, they usually don't watch the films which are not in the language they understand. One needs to find excuses to watch a movie, why try to find excuses to not to watch a movie! But to everyone's relief Amartya Bhattacharya has brought yet another film that is made in Odia that is being globally watched and appreciated. That movie finally released here at Odisha and I watched that last Friday.
6 or 8 months back, I had jotted down in my diary app that how I was avoiding doing anything that put pressure on mind or where mind is used such as thinking, writing, reading, analyzing. I thanked social media, OTT for my wretched condition. In Amartya's new film the central character Ananda argues - earlier, people used to have tails. But they stopped using it, so it vanished. If people stop using their brains, it will vanish someday. And what people without brain will do - they will not be able to think, they will become - sheep - to follow anyone anything in herd and worship everything that gives them instant pleasure and gratification - just like those action, thrillers, fantasies, love stories; endless reels, shorts, vlogs, posts, whatsapp forwards. Mindless people can be easily manipulated, ruled and brainwashed- like people of naughty America - like the voiceless character Jatin in the film who has lost the ability to think and makeup his mind.
Ananda along with Jatin and few others are porn addicts in the film. They rent porn CDs to watch as a group and seek instant 'action' and gratification. (Porn is a metaphor here. One can substitute the 'porn' here with action, comedy, thriller, romance, reels, shorts etc.) Ananda, which literally translates to 'pleasure', one day accidentally rents a film of French new wave filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard. Though he initially detests but gradually gets addicted to the films of Godard - because those films made him 'think'. He wants to share that joy and opportunity of thinking with everybody so much so that he decides to hold a Godard film festival in the village.
This basic premise in the film is interspersed with a bigger and 'intellectually heavier' subplot of 'art' as a pure and independent form- represented by Ananda's daughter 'Shilpa', her present lover 'artist' Pablo and past 'naïve' admirer Joe. Pablo says he loves Shilpa and he takes inspiration from some incidents and characters Shilpa is narrating to him for the purpose of making a movie. But he gets suspicious and doubts the integrity of Shilpa - in other words, the virginity of art - when Shilpa tells him about her past innocent lover Joe - with whom she may or may not have had sex. Does art belong to some 'one', can it be owned? No, not especially by an egoist so-called artist like Pablo. Art favours the innocents - just like that child at the end of Amartya's other movie 'Khyanikaa'.
After ridiculing the patriarchy of art form, both the plot ends cohesively with a point that pleasure lasts an orgasm but ecstasy is infinite. It can only be had by pursuing art, intellect, or in the context of this film, Godard. While people in the end dismiss thinking, labeling it as injurious to health and bid Godard goodbye, Ananda becomes Chidananda and greets Godard hello, how you are doing.
'Adieu Godard' is Amartya Bhattacharya's finest to date. It is his rebellion to establish film as an art form. And presently, particularly in these times of boycott, nepotism, stars vs story, industry supremacy, Amartya Bhattacharya's film is dangerously relevant and astonishingly well timed. While as subject, style, and form, Adieu Godard is impeccable, I have some problems with it. I feel the humour in the film is little too much, exaggerated, and overdone - so much so that it sometimes ventures in to the line of farce. I always feel that the theatre artists' performance, especially of the veterans like Choudhury Vikas Das, appear accentuated when being watched over the long-mid-closeup of audio-visual medium. While theatrics certainly require that but, in my opinion, it needs to be subtle and toned down for the screen. Choudhury Vikas Das has an undeniable towering persona on the screen, he owns the scenes he is in but, I, honestly, feel the performance of Dipanwit Das Mohapatra, Abhishek Giri and other minor characters are more natural in this film. Amartya Bhattacharya is one fine photographer and he has won national award for his photography, so there is not a single frame in this film devoid of meaning and worth criticizing. The solo frames of Choudhury Vikas Das in black backdrop of worn-out households are breathtaking. His photography style in the film is much more grounded and natural unlike his other films. I have, however, one suggestion. I know he must have his reasons, and the content of his films certainly benefits from the style and philosophy of his photography, but can he start using better gears, especially camera and lenses! The cuts are crisp and editing is sharp. I appreciate the minimal and stunning score of Kisaloy Roy and lively sound design of Sujoy Das. The dress and costume team has also done a commendable job.
Few years ago, I had asked Amartya Bhattacharya in a symposium that 'these films you do, they are not conventional, they are not accessible, they dwell in between the intellectual and abstract. Odia people, especially of present, or simple folks like my mother don't care for these films and most likely will never watch them! How can someone remain inspired if one's own people don't watch them." He replied that "why do you expect only your people to watch these! Why don't you think beyond Odisha! Make a film that people in foreign countries will watch and appreciate, think in this way. Language or geography are not barrier, they never had been. Why you restrict the possibilities, you make a good film and the world is your audience."
I feel proud that these Odia films of Amartya have crossed the boundaries and gathered accolades from all over the globe. I think Adieu Godard is his final call - to start a new wave - to bring about a renaissance- especially in Odia cinema. Aspiring producers and filmmakers time to think beyond the action, romance, comedy, thrillers.
I thank Swastik Choudhury and Amartya Bhattacharya for giving me an impetus to start thinking again after years.
Atiye (2019)
all is s not well that does not end well
I always wanted to watch a series like this. There are may movies but not a well made series. I was bored of the same murder, spy, horror thriller available abundantly and wanted something that mysterious or treasure-hunting-like.
Atiye or The Gift was fresh and appeared like a god gift in the lockdown situation.
I immensely enjoyed the first season. It was almost impeccable. There was some directorial glitches but I ignored them and watched the season like tasting a fine wine -slowly - one episode a day. 3rd episode of the first season was the best of the entire series. And overall season ended satisfyingly with a consistent tone.
I had somewhat confident that the series won't become like GOT and maintain its mystery, storyline, characters till the end.
BUT.
It started to roll down from hill from 2nd season. 2nd season started kind of well but as it progressed the series became a kids story - no logic, inconsistent plot and horrible...just horrible direction.
3rd season too started well but after 3/4 episodes gets to a zone that can be regarded as unwatchable. Direction in 2021 of Netflix backed series is as garbage as can be. The story plot everything went wherever they want. I felt the show runner took me as a kid, that they can show me anything and I will accept. I felt like a fool. And it finally ended a like a pseudo-mystery, pseudo-science-fiction, pseudo-thriller series. I could not believe what I watched in the end. What was the overall message of the series? Was there one? I would like to know what the original author of the novel intended really?
One thing I really liked is how the characters are written. I felt strong likes dislikes for the characters in all 3 season. Ozan was particularly well written.
If you dig these kind of stories then you should watch. But it ended very badly. It had so much potential....
Wild Karnataka (2020)
Wow
I was dying to watch it after seeing the gorgeous trailer. Finally got to see after its arrival on discovery plus.
I must congratulate and thanks immensely the filmmaker and his entire crew for such a remarkable job. The attempt is really larger than life. The love of the filmmaker and his vision to bring legendary people like David Attenborough is certainly praiseworthy.
I gave 6/10 as the film is formulaic. I would have loved a fresh take on the story telling. I must say I can feel every wildlife filmmaker is inevitably inspired by those BBC series and must be dreaming all life to make one himself like those British series. But it left me to desire for more.
The colour grading of the entire series is what something should not attempt if he is a naturalist. Several shots look like Instagram photos of amateurs.
Lastly, while I do love the score of the film as pieces of music but they are absolutely distracting. Again the composer must have seen Human Planet like series and has tried to imitate but the Wild Karnataka lacks the subtlety of those series as far as music is concerned. Yes, Nicky Kej has done a remarkable work giving the film local Indian flavour but I think music is over done for a 52 minutes long film. The uplifting music is too much which kills the suspense before it builds up. The theme kicks in every once in a while feels like film comes to the end.
The director duo with camera crew has captured numerous intimate pictures of the wild Karnataka and with a certain posh and grandeur that has made me elated. I love the shot of revelation of the Royal Bengal Tiger by panning from behind to front which I think is very original.
I would thank all the crew and the department of forest of Karnataka for give permission and encouragement to to carry out such a timely task. I hope the filmmaker will continue producing films like these.
The Lost Idea (2018)
Original and Enjoyable
One shot from the movie 'Khyanikaa:The Lost Idea', I watched last night, is not ready to fade out from the memory. The shot is from the Dance of Idea sequence where one of the character - lazy man helplessly staring at the unreachable Idea (Idea is a character too personified as a woman) who was dancing on some sort of pillar way beyond his reach - almost near the top edge of the frame. Given the context, the shot is brilliant outcome of the vision of the director Amartya Bhattacharyya. I was not allowed to otherwise I could capture the shot on my phone and make my wallpaper.
It felt good to hear Odia dialogues after so many years in a theatre - that too with such powerful images. I have my problems with the movie but it is an engrossing watch nevertheless which I would like to have at least one more time. It resembled Tarkovsky's Stalker at the beginning when it informed audience the existence of a strange village where wishes come true, just like the 'zone' of Tarkovsky. But I loved how the place is less important than the characters in Khyanikaa. The film is also not typically abstract flick though heavily layered and nuanced. There is a story, characters, conflict, progression, resolution even dance and songs just like any other movies yet it has its freshness and originality. At the core it was a simple love story which is funny, humorous, crazy at times but very serious and complex in all its absurdities and undertones. However I have failed to grasp everything fully which requires repeated viewing. I am unable to comprehend the role of the painter in the story- is he representing God or a Higher Being who we call God!!, why he is not after the Idea like others but after the Sun! Similarly, when the poet mock fate for condemning sex as vulgar, he asked whether he has begotten or not.... here should I take the character Fate literally or metaphorically even if he is personified as a human being! Whom the fate can have sex with!! The premise is quite cerebral for my capacity.
The main issues for me are the background music and acting. The background music was on the nose and very rude at times. I think it was completely unnecessary and I am not fond of the 'make me channel of your peace' song either.... again loved the dance of Idea sequence very much. I am also not convinced by the acting of the actors. Ironically, the acting of Anu Choudhury felt natural in the context of the story who portraying an over dramatic page3 celebrity. (please read the word 'Ironically' one more time) Honestly, Dipanwit Dashmohapatra as a Postman and Hrushikesh Bhoi, the infamous Kansa as fate with lesser screen time seemed cool and at ease with their characters. Choudhury Bikas Das was exaggerating and melodramatic at times. Swastik Choudhury as poet was fine with some inconsistent expressions most of which are directorial glitches in my opinion. Some of the sequences appeared little childish to me as well but I can not complain as it is an independent experimental film with outstanding camera work.
One scene in the movie towards the end was an idea brewing in my mind for a year was a cherry on the cake as I was dawned with the realisation in realtime that an Idea cannot be owned or possessed and beyond the clutch of anyone's mind.
I am quite envious how impeccably Amartya Bhattacharryya is able to manage his time and continuing making movies after movies with shoestring budget and gadgets.