world cinema Pedro Almodóvar

Pedro Almodóvar
b. September 25, 1949, Calzada de Calatrava, Spain
by Steven Marsh
Steven Marsh teaches Film, Spanish and Comparative Literature at the University of South Carolina. Previously, he lived in Madrid where he still spends much of the year. He is the author of Popular Spanish Film Under Franco: Comedy and the Weakening of the State (Palgrave, 2005) and one of the writers of the forthcoming collaborative volume Cinema and the Mediation of Everyday Life: An Oral History of Cinema Going in 1940s and 1950s Spain. He is co-editor of the anthology of essays entitled Gender and Spanish Cinema (Berg, 2004).
Filmography Select Bibliography Articles in Senses Web Resources

Pedro Almodóvar is the cultural symbol par excellence of the restoration of democracy in Spain after nearly 40 years of the right-wing military dictatorship of Francisco Franco. Since Almodóvar's emergence as a transgressive underground cineaste in the late 1970s and early 1980she has gone on to establish himself as the country's most important filmmaker and a major figure on the stage of world cinema.
However, it is Almodóvar's ambivalent relationship with the country of his birth (and where he has made all of his 16 feature films to date) that has proved symptomatic of the complexities surrounding the filmmaker. While subversion of identity is the key subject matter of his cinema, Almodóvar has consistently flirted with his own sense of “Spanish-ness” (most frequently in his recourse to – and resignifying of – the symbolism of the Catholic Church). This has led often to a mixed domestic reception, which takes the form of unconditional acclaim by certain sections of the Spanish media but that has also seen him vilified by conservative critics. Whatever reaction he provokes, there is little doubt that Almodóvar rarely – if ever – inspires indifference.
Like Don Quixote before him, Almodóvar was born in the region of central-southern Spain known as La Mancha. His humble origins, as a member of a large and impoverished family of peasant stock, have left their indelible mark on his work. He often cast his own mother (Francisca Caballero) – possessed of the archetypal wisdom of peasant womanhood – in cameo roles in his movies prior to her death in 1999. Many of his films see their urban-dwelling protagonists return to their ancestral family homes in the country, variously, for refuge or redemption. The rural home town, while at the heart of the Spanish national imaginary – this is a country in which most of the urban population is only one generation away from the feudal pueblo – is an ambiguous Arcadia. His most recent movie Volver (2006) deals directly with the ghosts of the nation's past in its portrayal of the typical Spanish village. Later, when Almodóvar was eight years-old the family moved to Extremadura in the west of the country where he would receive the brutish education at the hands of the Catholic Church that is reflected in the richly baroque tale of priests and child abuse of La mala educación (2004).
At the end of the 1960s Almodóvar arrived in Madrid. After completing the compulsory military service and spending periods as a hippy in Ibiza and London, he secured a day job as a clerk for the national telephone company Telefónica. It was a position he would maintain for more than a decade, with occasional unpaid leaves of absence to work on his various projects. Indeed, in several of his films we see homages to this period of his life, such as the Madrid skyline in Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios (1988), marked by the emblematic red light of the Telefónica clock tower and the pervasive, almost obsessive presence of telephones in almost all his films of the 1980s. Almodóvar has often spoken of how much he learned from listening to the women who surrounded him in the office where he worked. For a filmmaker who had no formal training, he has drawn on his experiences to develop what is almost universally acknowledged as one of his greatest strengths: his ear for the sounds, the rhythms and the dialects of the street, and thus his capacity to direct actors.
Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del montón
Meanwhile by night, and following the death of Franco in November 1975, Almodóvar was steadily becoming the leading figure in Madrid's flourishing alternative cultural scene that would become known as La Movida. Commencing as a stage hand for the theatre troupe, Los Goliardos – where he met Carmen Maura, the actress who would become his leading lady for the first half of his filmic career – he also performed in a punk rock group, wrote pornographic photo-novels and, significantly, purchased a super-8 camera with which he shot a series of outlandish shorts which guaranteed his burgeoning notoriety. Finally, in 1980 he shot his first feature Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del montón,a bizarrely ribald chronicle of life on the wilder fringes of the Madrid night-time experience. Pepi, Luci, Bom… wasa film, plagued by financial and technical problems. It took 18 months to shoot and required its director to return to his post at the telephone exchange before it was finally completed. In many ways, it was an inauspicious commencement to Almodóvar's professional career – the technical limitations and blatant amateurism of the cinematography are evident for all to see – but it also captured the spirit of the times – above all the sense of cultural and sexual freedom – and established Almodóvar as a force with which to be reckoned.
Almodóvar's career has been plagued by accusations of frivolity. His apparent lack of political commitment contrasted with that of his contemporaries. The end of the dictatorship opened up a dizzying array of political, social and cultural opportunities and the possibility of substantive changes in society seemed real. Just across the border in Portugal – a few hours drive from Madrid – the 1974 revolution had provided what for some was an exemplary means of transforming society. By the same token, the dominant oppositional school of Spanish filmmaking – drawn, with very few exceptions, from the privileged elites – looked towards France and the auteurist tradition and which, in spite of its claims to committed film often seemed devoted to the cinematic essay. Almodóvar's disavowal of this kind of solemnity would initiate a conflict with the Spanish film establishment that endures to this day, in spite of his international reputation.
Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios
Despite the hostility to which he has often been subject at home, Almodóvar has clearly emerged from a particularly Spanish cultural tradition. Much of the criticism that has been levelled at him stems from the alleged influence of Hollywood cinema on his films. Such critics often adopt the discourse of progressive politics – the accusation against Almodóvar is that he has capitulated to cultural imperialism – to defend what is essentially a fairly tiresome and well-worn brand of Spanish nationalism. The reality is that Almodóvar is indeed influenced by North American cinema (which international filmmaker isn't?) and particularly so in his early work. This influence, however, is scarcely that of “dominant” Hollywood films but rather the underground, transgressive cinema of the early John Waters and Andy Warhol. That said, his numerous stylistic appropriations of Alfred Hitchcock (particularly in Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios, but there are many more) and the influence of Douglas Sirk's melodramas are undeniable elements present in Almodóvar's work, as he himself is keen to acknowledge. Likewise, his use of music – and the scores to his films are remarkable in their own right – suggests both a global sensibility and an ear for the newest trends close to home. From the post-punk new wave of his early movies to the boleros, the bossa nova and the flamenco of his melodramas and more mature work, Almodóvar's cinema provides a veritable feast of transnational eclecticism.
The fact remains, however, that the most significant (and yet largely unrecognised) influence is that of the Spanish cinematic tradition that stretches back to the Second Republic of the 1930s. Almodóvar is the direct filmic descendent of Edgar Neville – Spain's finest director of the 1940s – as well as the absurdist humour of dramaturgs and screenwriters Miguel Mihura and Enrique Jardiel Poncela (all three of whom, incidentally, learned their cinematic trade while working on Spanish-language versions of Hollywood films in the Los Angeles studios of the late 1920s). Likewise, Almodóvar has repeatedly drawn attention to the debt that he owes to Neville's heir – and the closest Spanish filmmaker to Federico Fellini – the great Luis García Berlanga as well as to the director/actor Fernando Fernán Gómez (who appeared in Almodóvar's Oscar-winning 1999 movie Todo sobre mi madre).
There is, moreover, another major – and often unremarked upon – cinematic influence on Almodóvar. Luis Buñuel, who went into exile in Mexico in 1939 after Spain's Civil War is a constant referent for contemporary Spanish cinema. Buñuel, though, has long been associated critically with precisely the elitist pantheon of filmmaking that Almodóvar has rejected (or that has rejected him). Indeed, Buñuel is very often not even considered to be a Spanish cineaste by foreign critics, owing to the fact that much of his best-known work after 1939 was produced outside of the country, particularly in Mexico and France. Nonetheless, there are a number of parallels between the two directors. Both inhabit an ambivalent critical space that defies discursive categories of nominative definition, in which adjectives such as “popular” or “arthouse” are employed to classify and codify filmmaking. Although both directors are often referred to as auteurs, is a little-known fact that Buñuel, whose international reputation comes principally from his surrealist collaborations with Salvador Dalí, was a key figure in the promotion of popular filmmaking during the Second Republic (1931–39). Likewise, Almodóvar – especially in his early work – was the leading exponent of the kind of popular urban comedy very much associated with Madrid in the 1980s. Almodóvar's 1997 film Carne trémula – interestingly a film that for the first time in his oeuvre had a plot marked by the passage of historical time – quotes directly from Buñuel's creepily comic 1955 tour de force, Ensayo de un crimen.
The intense, difficult and invariably complex relationship with the country of his birth provides us with the key to understanding the cinema of Almodóvar. The central issue in his films, and it is one with which he engages in a myriad different ways, from his earliest work to his most recent is the question of identity. This key feature of Almodóvar is never more consistently depicted than through the motif of writing. Writing reality into existence (and thereby changing it) through fiction is a means of interrogating all forms of subjectivity and subject formation. One need only note the abundance of characters who adopt multiple pseudonyms, the repeated images of typewriters, the information transmitted through found notes, the eerie presence of ghostwriters.
Todo sobre mi madre
This critique of the subject extends to all other forms of identity. His refusal to kowtow to the academic exigencies of the Spanish establishment or to indulge in political posturing through his cinema does not mean that Spain is not central to Almodóvar's subject matter nor that he is uninterested in politics. In much the same way – and in a country where same-sex marriage is now legal – his obsessive concern with the fluidity of genders, the interchangeability of sexual tastes and orientations, his constant interrogation of discrete sexual identities has disappointed certain militant gay activists who, for political reasons, evidently would prefer a clearer – and less ambiguous – definition of sexual identity (and would also like to have seen Almodóvar take a stance in favour of gay rights). The point is an important one, Almodóvar's characters are never exclusively heterosexual or homosexual, instead they perform their identities and thus are identifiable by what they choose to be at any particular moment. The point is made tellingly in several of his films but a clear example is in his 1986 La ley de deseo. In this film Almodóvar cast the well-known post-operative transsexual (at least to a Spanish audience), Bibí Andersen, as the mother of a child who – to all intents and purposes – has been adopted by an onscreen transsexual played by Carmen Maura. Similarly, Almodóvar is responsible (in this film and others such as the 1982 Laberinto de pasiones) not only for having launched Antonio Banderas' film career but also for having converted him into a gay icon. In this sense Almodóvar has an affinity with the new queer cinema of the 1980s and 1990s and owes a particular debt – again via Sirk – to Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Although Almodóvar has gone out of his way to disavow the suggestion that he is a gay filmmaker (rather than a filmmaker who just happens to be gay), the content of his films often subtly points up a gay geneology. In Todo sobre mi madre – a film that is essentially a work of mourning of a mother for her son and Almodóvar's recent loss of his own mother – the intertexual references abound to create a patchwork of literary antecedents that inflects and subverts the forward march of teleological history of facts and figures. This is a text structured around a set of other texts produced by globalised community of gay writers:Federico García Lorca, Truman Capote, Tennessee Williams.
Identity, though, is principally subverted in Almodóvar's work through the human body. In La flor de mi secreto (1994) and Todo sobre mi madre we see explicit references to the donation and transplant of organs (and Spain is one of the world's most generous nations in this respect). The common idea that one's “essence” is contained in the particularity of a single organ (such as a heart) is upended by Almodóvar. Likewise, cloning (Laberinto de pasiones), sex changes (La ley de deseo) and wholesale resuscitation (Hable con ella [2002] – Almodóvar's most metaphysical film) all make the body the agent of flexibility and change. In Todo sobre mi madre, the transsexual character of Agrado (Antonia San Juan) delivers an ostensibly comic speech concerning the surgical alterations performed upon her own body, which she pointedly claims are what make her who she really is. The discourse surrounding artifice and reality is, of course, at the heart of Miguel de Cervantes Don Quixote, the key text in the Spanish literary canon. Almodóvar and Cervantes not only undermine Christian notions of the body as an essential and inviolable representation of being but they also subvert identity by proposing the body as a site of imitation. One of the characters in Tacones lejanos (1991) is a magistrate whose investigation leads him to impersonate (in drag) a fading 1960s cabaret star (played by Marisa Paredes), while also assuming the identity of a drug dealer. The fact that the character is played by one the most important figures of the Spanish pop scene, Miguel Bosé (who, in the past, has modelled himself upon David Bowie) adds an additional star quality to the dimensions of the character. In a melodrama clearly related to Sirk's 1959 Imitation of Life, the film raises the possibilities of mimicry as more real than that which it seeks to imitate.
Volver
It is perhaps because of this play on the boundaries of identity – or borderline ambiguities – that Almodóvar delights in threshold locations. His use of airports especially Madrid's Barajas airport, which appears in many of his films, from his second to his most recent; the dressing rooms of film studios, theatres, nightclubs, replete with mirrors that lend themselves to particular filmic effects; cemeteries, in Madrid, Barcelona and (again) in his latest film, Volver. These are points of transition but they are also locations of transformation. This spatial aspect to Almodóvar is an important one. Urban space, the precincts the city arenas that have marked recent Spanish history and crucially, the element of freedom of movement are associated with questions of identity and with bridging those features that seem most peculiar in this particular director's work. Critics have noted the importance of space in films such as the early ¿Qué he hecho yo para merecer esto? (1984) or in Carne trémula but its implications have rarely been analysed. The cultural intersections and the abundant hybrid forms produced of Spain's uneven development and the dramatic and rapid changes of recent decades have provided Almodóvar with a rich mine of material. In both Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios and Volver rural life is at the heart of urban culture and vice versa.
On March 11, 2004 a series of explosions ripped through three commuter trains as they approached Madrid. 191 people were killed and thousands more were injured in Europe's worst ever terrorist attack. The bombings came three days before the Spanish general elections and a week prior to the programmed release of Almodóvar's 15th feature, La mala educación. The right-wing ruling party in government at the time sought to capitalise on the event by blaming it on the Basque separatist group ETA, while simultaneously concealing information that indicated that an Islamic terrorist group was responsible. Very quickly it became apparent that the government had lied and on March 14, in the face of all predictions to the contrary, the opposition Socialist Party won the elections. Almodóvar applauded the result. Almost exactly a year previous to the bombings Madrid had hosted one of the largest demonstrations ever held to protest Spain's involvement in the invasion of Iraq. The three main speakers at the end of the march were Pedro Almodóvar, his leading actress in Hable con ella, Leonor Watling, and veteran director and actor Fernando Fernán Gómez. At the premiere of La mala educación later in the month of March 2004, a right-wing mob outraged at Almodóvar's statements gathered to insult and hurl rotten vegetables at those entering to see the new film. After winning two Oscars and numerous other awards both at home and abroad, it is testimony to the enduring reputation for transgression that Almodóvar remains a refreshing source of contention and controversy.
© Steven Marsh, May 2006

Pedro Almodóvar
Filmography
Pepi, Luci, Bom y las otras chicas del montón (1980)
Laberinto de pasiones (Labyrinth of Passions) (1982)
Entre tinieblas (Dark Habits) (1983)
¿Qué he hecho yo para merecer esto? (What Have I Done to Deserve This?) (1984)
Matador (1986)
La ley de deseo (The Law of Desire) (1987)
Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios (Women On the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown) (1988)
¡Átame! (Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down) (1989)
Tacones lejanos (High Heels) (1991)
La flor de mi secreto (The Flower of My Secret) (1994)
Kika (1996)
Carne trémula (Live Flesh) (1997)
Todo sobre mi madre (All About My Mother) (1999)
Hable con ella (Talk To Her) (2002)
La mala educación (Bad Education) (2004)
Volver (Return) (2006)

Select Bibliography
Mark Allinson, A Spanish Labyrinth: The Films of Pedro Almodóvar, IB Tauris, London/New York, 2001.
Pedro Almodóvar, Patty Difusa y otros textos,
Marvin d'Lugo, Pedro Almodóvar, Contemporary Film Directors series, University of Illinois, Chicago, 2006
Frederic Strauss (ed.), Almodóvar on Almodóvar, Faber and Faber, London/Boston, c1996.
Paul Julian Smith, Desire Unlimited: The Cinema of Pedro Almodóvar, Verso, New York, 1994.
Kathleen Vernon and Barbara Morris (eds.), Post Franco Postmodern: The Films of Pedro Almodóvar, Greenwood, Westport, 1995.

Articles in Senses of Cinema
The Flower of My Secret by Carla Marcantonio

Web Resources
Pedro AlmodóvarOfficial site. In Spanish, French and English.
Film Directors – Articles on the InternetLinks to online articles can be found here
AlmodóvarlandiaAn older fan page. In Spanish, English and German.
Guardian/NFT interview: Pedro AlmodóvarTranscript of interview with Jose Arroyo at the NFT, following a screening of Talk to Her.

COURTESY: SENSES OF CINEMA

tamil cinema-nepali film gallery-PART 1

South Asia Contact Group Achieve: [SouthAsiaContact] Randor Guy ----tamil cinema 75--75--hasta la vista!

South Asia Contact Group Achieve: [SouthAsiaContact] Randor Guy ----tamil cinema 75--75--hasta la vista!

telugu film don-review

DON - TT Review

As Nagarjuna mentioned during the audio release of the film, it is all about stylish making and that is pretty much of what can be said about Don; because the story can be narrated in one line - it is the fight between Hyderabad Don and Mumbai Don. The film has no relevance to the previously made Dons except some Don standards such as the set up and a close buddy. Story in short: Surya alias Suri (Nagaruna) is the Don of Hyderabad. Unlike typical Mafia Dons, Suri cares for the public too. He has a close buddy Raghava (Larencce), who is with him from his childhood. On the other part of the world, there is a Mumbai Don Stephen who wants to become national Don. Either he colonizes the Dons from each State or eliminates them if they do not concede. Finally, Stephen's eye falls on Andhra Pradesh and Suri will not fall for either of Stephen's pranks. Why Suri did not shake hands with Stephen and how he survived the evil wrath of Stephen should be seen on screen. As for performances, Nagarjuna is as usual - looking handsome and stylish. A few more mannerisms were added along with his natural style. His getup is also good. Action sequences and dance movements are nicely conceived on him. The film projects a new style of Nagarjuna. Ragava Larencce has almost the same footage as Nagarjuna has in this film. He did the friend of Suri with good ease. His comedy timing is good. Anushka looked glamorous and ravishing. However, her scope is pretty much limited to songs. Nikitha contributed her own share as the love interest of Ragava. She did her role well. Chalapati Rao, Jeeva and others did their role to content. Kudos to Larencce for handling so many departments in the film and yet not disappointing with any of them. He did screenplay, direction, choreography and music also for the film. There is not much story in the film and it is purely screenplay that ran the show. Not even a single point of time that there is scope for lag moment. The narration is pretty good. Every scene is done as if it is the highlight scene of the film. Right twists at right points also helped the movie. If there is anything that he should have taken care, it is the music. He gave very good background score but when it came to songs only couple of numbers are effective. Dialogs by Abburi Ravi are very good. Cinematography by Gopal Reddy and editing by Marthand Venkatesh are top notch. Action sequences are conceived very well. Especially the fights between Dons with a challenge is done nicely. Even though the climax is predictable, the sequence is brought out with good amount of excitement. Climax is very effective. Overall, the film might seems an enhancement of Nagarjuna's Super. Even though there is no story in the film, it is the narration, stylish takings and tiny twists keep the movie going without a boring moment. And the film is not that long. It wrapped up in 2 1/2 hours. A stylish film is what can be said about Don and it can surely be given a shot once.
Review by: Phani

tamil cinema review-Pulivarudhu: Dreams die hard

Producer: AntonyDirector: GV KumraCast: Ramesh, Mallika Kapoor, Karunas
It is the story of an ordinary man with extraordinary powers. Ramesh (Ramesh) leads a happy life till he discovers that he has supernatural powers. He can visualise future happenings in his dreams! He dreams of beautiful things too, besides gory ones. The beautiful one is that he is married to a beautiful girl Shenbagam (Mallika Kapoor) whom he has never met in real life. And the gory one, after his marriage his close friend Karuppusamy (Karunas) dies in an accident and his father (Manivannan) too passes away. He wakes up with a jolt. To his surprise, later, he spots his dream girl at a function. And Shenbagam has already fallen in love with him! Ramesh refuses to marry her fearing that his dream may come true and she will be blamed for the deaths of his father and friend. He develops withdrawal symptoms and avoids meeting anyone. After twists and turns it is revealed how Ramesh gets over his plight and marries Shenbagam.
The entire film revolves around Ramesh and he has acquitted himself well with a neat performance. Mallika Kapoor provides the glam while it is Karunas humour that sustains one’s interest without monotony creeping in. Cinematographer Rajasekhar’s provides the visual treat while Srikanth Deva has come up with some hummable melodies. Director G.V. Kumar’s screenplay lags at times.

SUPERSTAR RAJINIKANTH AND SHANKAR TEAM ONCE AGAIN

DUO STRIKES AGAIN

Ayngaran International, Chairman Sri K. Karunamoorthy and Eros Multimedia, Chairman Kishore Lulla finely confirmed in a joint statement today that Super Star Rajnikanth and Showman of Indian Cinema Shankar along with the Mozart of Music A. R. Rahman are coming together once again after the success of Shivaji in their new film ROBOT. ROBOT will be the striking and entertaining film ever made in Indian cinema and will be produced in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and other languages. It will be a high-tech film with state of art technology. Director Shankar is at the moment finalizing all the other technicians for the film which will be announced shortly.
Eros International plc is an established global player in the fast-growing Indian media and entertainment arena. Being vertically integrated means that Eros not only produces and commissions films like studios but it also distributes and exploits films across formats globally via cinemas, home entertainment, television formats and new media.
Established in 1977, Eros International has three decades of market leadership in creating a global platform for Indian cinema. The company operates in over 50 countries with worldwide offices in India, UK, USA, Dubai, Australia, Fiji and Isle of Man. It has built a successful business model around the release of 30-40 new films every year and the exploitation of a film library containing more than 1,300 titles, making it one of the largest content owners in the business.
Global Distribution, Motion Pictures, Music, Home Entertainment, e-Television, New Media and Animation are the main Strategic Business Units of Eros.
Eros successfully completes its 30th year in the business with the Vision of consolidating the fragmented industry, the Strategy of operating a vertically integrated business model.
Eros has the film distribution rights for the best Indian films like “Devdas”, “Om Shanti Om”, “Munna bhai MBBS”, “Partner” and many others. Global Distribution, Motion Pictures, Music, Home Entertainment, e-Television, New Media and Animation are the main Strategic Business Units of Eros. Currently almost 70 films are being produced and co-produced in Hindi with leading artists such as Shahrukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan.
Ayngaran has been the pioneers in Tamil Film Distribution in theatrical and home video formats in the International Market. The History of Ayngaran business dates back to 1987 when it had the vision to acquire the International Rights across formats of many Tamil films that became blockbusters. The Ayngaran library has over 1000 films including Blockbuster films like "Alaipayuthey", "Kandukondain Kandukondain", "Kannathil Muthamittal", "Mudhalvan", "Indian", "Jeans", "Boys", "Kadalukku Mariyadhai", "Padayappa", "Baba", "Chandramukhi", "Gilly", "Sivakasi" and lately "Pokiri" which are a few of the blockbusters released worldwide.
Ayngaran International has become the market leaders in screening films and home entertainment around the world. Currently having permanent screens in Srilanka, Singapore, UK, Malaysia, Paris and Canada. Ayngaran has very deep relationships within the Tamil film fraternity and has over 90% market share internationally in its space. Ayngaran operates on a model that exploits theatrical, home video, television and new electronic media window across markets.

POP MUSIC-MADDONA-Madonna boogies to Rajasthani folk song

Far from being tired after her endurance rides on horseback in the past few days, the 'Queen of Pop' Madonna on Thursday night sprang yet another surprise by hip-twisting to Rajasthani folk songs and on Friday went back to riding 20 km more. Dressed in her favourite red ghagra-odhni and traditional jewellry, she danced to the Rajasthani folk number - Mhari Ghoomar Che Nakhrali Aye Maa Ghumar Ramva Mhe Jasyan . Her host Manvendra Singh, who is the owner of Rohetgarh Heritage Resort, said Madonna learnt the steps from his family members. "Young members of my family taught her the steps and Madonna quickly grasped those. She modified the steps a little bit. Her husband Guy Ritchie and other members of the party wore colourful turbans. She enjoyed every bit of the evening," said Manvendra's son Siddharth Singh, who planned her five-day holiday in the desert state. The decked up chowk, a large courtyard where the dance and music was held, echoed to the music of Maganiars. Traditional Rajasthani cuisine was served for dinner on the fort's terrace facing the lake.

POP MUSIC NEWS-Spears released from hospital; expert says she needs help

Spears released from hospital, expert says she needs urgent help

Los Angeles (ANTARA News) - Troubled pop star Britney Spears, 26, returned home Saturday after a two-day stay in hospital that followed her refusal to turn over one of her children to her ex-husband's custody.

Spears left the Cedars Sinai Medical Center through an underground tunnel to avoid paparazzi who have laid siege to the building, according to the US broadcast show "Entertainment Tonight."

Beforehand, the singer received a visit from celebrity television therapist Dr Phil McGraw, who said afterwards he believed Spears was in urgent need of medical and psychological treatment.

Spears' physicians have not commented on her condition.

Spears was hospitalized Thursday for physical and psychological evaluation following a tense, three-hour stand-off with police in her luxury Hollywood home. Spears refused to follow court orders and hand over her children, Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1, to the custody of her ex-husband Kevin Federline.

After the court-appointed monitor put Sean in the car, Britney locked herself in a room with Jayden, a source close to Spears was quoted by DPA as telling People Magazine.

Police were called to enforce the custody handoff, and after a tense, three-hour standoff inside the house, paramedics carried Spears to an ambulance on a stretcher.

On Friday, a Los Angeles family court commissioner suspended Spear's visitation rights to her children after a hearing on safety concerns for the children.

On Thursday, the law firm representing Spears in the custody battle had quit, saying the pop star was "impossible" to work with.

The legal resignation came after Spears missed another court-ordered deposition with Federline's lawyer, Mark Vincent Kaplan, to undergo cross-examination about her parenting abilities.

Last month she called in sick to a similar meeting just hours after she was caught on camera at a night club.

TAMIL FILM NEWS-KAALAI AUDIO REVIEW

KAALAI

Cast :Simbu, Vedhika, NilaDirector :Tharun GopiMusic :G V. Prakash



The film Kaalai is directed by Thimiru fame Tarun Gopi,the lead actors in Kaalai are little super star silambarasan and Vedhika, actress Nila graces the screen for one item number, This is the first time Silambarasan and G.V Prakash have come together and there is some kind of hazy magic that is created in the songs. The songs are different from the usual it contains commercial elements that add up the different flavor.



Vanthidanta Kaalai


As the title suggests this is the introductory song of the hero Simbhu, the song is punching and defiantly creating an impact that is required for the hero. The song is sung by Silambarasn, rahul Nambiar and Benny. The song is written by the director himself Tarun gopi.



Kaala kaala


The actress turned singer mamta Mohandas has sung this sensuous song and it does elevate all our senses, this is a good romantic number, the song brings out a hollow sound effect through out the song. That brings out a depth into the song. The song is written by the hero silambarasan.





Veeramulla
The song is a typical Tamil folk number, the lyrics of the song speaks proudly about the culture and the traditions, the song is sung by a whole of singers, manicka vinayagam, sreegazhi sivachidambaram,pallakad Sriram and tarun gopi, this song is penned by great lyricist valli.
Gumthalakadi


A commercial romantic koothu, that is a must in most Tamil cinemas, but it has a western tinge and with the most vibrant voices of lucky Ali and sunidhi chauhan, this song will be the top on the song lists. The beats and the tune is something different to Tamil cinema, the song is penned by valli again.
Eppo nee


Ta soft romantic number sung by melodious madhushree, the song is a attractive and a simple song with good chorus and the basic tune is lively. The lyrics are very emotional written by snehan.this song is something different in the whole album that has vibrant songs.the BGM music notes in the song is appealing.
Kutti pesase


this song would undoubtedly appease the masses and an enjoyment for the front benchers, a super cool dance number sung by suchitra and silambarasan, the highlight is the lyric “kutti pesase” and the regular interval of the song has the sound effect “dandanakka” lyric that elevates the song to a very peppy and comical sequence; the song is penned by valli again.

TAMIL CINEMA NEWS-AJITH BECOMES DAD

AJITH BECOMES DAD

Actor Ajith and his wife Shalini became proud parents of a baby girl in the wee hours of Thursday.
Shalini was admitted to a private hospital on Wednesday evening and she gave birth to the baby by caesarian.
The mother and the daughter are doing fine. On hearing the news, Ajith reportedly distributed sweets to family members and friends.
It is said the actor was staying in the hospital along with his wife, ever since she was admitted on Wednesday.
The couple, who fell in love with each other while shooting Amarkalam, entered into wedlock on 24 April, 2000. And the addition of a new member to the family now is undoubtedly the best moment in the married life of one of the most celebrated star couples in Tamil cinema.

Courtesy-news today

tamil cinema-kanna-fim review

REVIEW

Kanna: Teen crush
Creative Quotient

Anand took teen crush as the central point for his debut directorial venture, Kanna, set in Coimbatore. Annapoorni (Sheela) is the apple of the eye of a rich businessman Raghunath (Prakash Raj), and Jaya (Seetha). Poorni goes on an educational tour to Ooty and meets a florist Kanna (Telugu actor Raja, debut in Tamil). After a misunderstanding, she realises that she has developed a liking towards him. She returns to Coimbatore after the study tour. Kanna is not aware of her love nor does he nurse any such ideas. One day she learns that her classmate has flown down to Chennai to be with her boyfriend on his birthday and returned by the next flight to attend the class, Poorni too decides to go to Ooty on her friend’s bike for Kanna’s birthday since it is just a two-hour journey. But on the way the bike breaks down. Undaunted she makes an adventurous journey to Ooty. Back home, her worried father whose world revolves around her searches for her everywhere. In Ooty, a whole new world of experience is awaiting Annapoorni.
The whole film revolves around two characters Sheela and Prakash Raj. Needless to say, that the experienced Prakash Raj plays the loving and worried father to the hilt. Sheela throws a surprise by a well-etched performance as the infatuation-ridden girl especially in the second half when she encounters strange experiences that she was never exposed to till then and the mental transformation she undergoes in the end when she hides herself in the truck from Kanna. Raja makes a dignified presence. Sona Nair as the science teacher and Livingstone as Asirvadam provide the lighter moments. Tajmal’s camera and Ranjit Barot’s background score sets the right mood throughout.

Courtesy-SCREEN INDIA

HOLLYWOOD -THE GOLDEN COMPASS-FILM REVIEW

by Chris Bellamy
December 2007
Sized-downWordy, vague 'Golden Compass' doesn't hold up to other epics...or other movies, for that matter

The Golden Compass New Line Cinema Director: Chris Weitz Screenplay: Chris Weitz, based on the novel by Philip Pullman Starring: Dakota Blue Richards, Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Sam Elliott and the voices of Ian McKellen, Freddie Highmore, Ian McShane and Kathy Bates Rated PG-13 / 1 hour, 53 minutes Opens December 7, 2007 (out of four)
Thanks, Peter Jackson. Thanks a lot. Just look at what you've spawned.
I know, I know, you're an insanely talented filmmaker and you make three-hour fantasy epics look easy. I can't fault you for that. But just look at the mess you've caused. Now everyone thinks they can do it. Apparently, this kind of thing can't be taught or even imitated.
Yes, like the special effects-laden action blockbuster in summer and the please-give-me-an-Oscar biopic in the fall, the big fantasy epic has become a tradition of the holiday season. In 2005, it was The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which was fine the first time but got completely upstaged just a few days later by Jackson's own King Kong, which made Narnia look like a Roger Corman production by comparison.
Then last year we (meaning me and the nine other people who saw it) had to suffer through Eragon, whose 16% Tomatometer rating speaks for itself. And for this magical holiday season, we get The Golden Compass, which writer/director Chris Weitz has stripped of all magic, cohesion and intelligence. Come on, Peter Jackson - I don't care if it's The Hobbit or something completely new, but once you're done adapting that crappy Alice Sebold book (which will inevitably be better than its source material), we need you back. At least once more, show these people how it's done.
Apparently, Weitz thinks the way to go about it is through relentless exposition, half-developed characters and action sequences that mean absolutely nothing. One movie cannot define a filmmaker, but The Golden Compass certainly seems to overwhelm Weitz, who candidly admitted that he couldn't pull off such a large-scale project when he first quit the film, before returning a year-and-a-half later after his replacement, Anand Tucker, also quit.
Adapted from the first installment of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series, The Golden Compass is theoretically about a young girl's struggle to retain her innocence (and her soul) against the conspiratorial forces of authoritarian rule. Her name is Lyra (Dakota Blue Richards) and, like everyone else in this world, she's accompanied at all times by her daemon, which personifies her soul. When children are young, their daemons can change shape and species before they eventually settle on one as the child ascends into adulthood.
(They also, apparently, are good for whispering completely obvious hints of advice that neither Lyra nor the audience needs.)
The ominous Magisterium - which represents a sort of neo-religious, theocratic syndicate that intends to control people's thoughts and actions, though all references to God and religion have been excised in the film version - is the villain, and the powers-that-be have been secretly abducting children and trying to separate them from their daemons, a grueling physical and spiritual process.
Of course, like those in religious or political authority who abuse their power, it's all for the children's own good.
Now if only we understood - or better yet, felt - what was actually at stake. Instead, we get loosely explained plot points that lead to other loosely explained plot points. We don't get to explore anything. And for all the exposition, we don't even really get to understand anything except in the vaguest of terms. We understand only what we need to understand in order to follow the plotline. Everything else is just details, and the screenplay conveniently left those out.
What I'd really like to see is someone like Jackson - to use the most obvious example - write a self-help book for up-and-coming filmmakers who want to direct fantasy epics. Or maybe a 12-month training session, complete with a leadership training retreat. As it is, we'll just have to settle for a few of my handy do-it-yourself tips:
1. When trying to set up a conflict or narrative dynamic intended to drive the story forward for two hours, it helps if you explain what in the world you're talking about.
In The Golden Compass, cryptic terms or entities like "dust" and "Gyptians" are thrown around without any significant explanation or exploration whatsoever. Nor is there any real development of the things we can understand - like witches, demons and thinly-veiled figures of religious authority. For a movie whose almost every line of dialogue is expository, you'd think the script would have, at some point, gotten around to explaining things to us.
On a side note, a script written by Oscar winner, Tony winner and Brazil co-writer Tom Stoppard was rejected by Weitz. Just thought I'd mention it.
2. When you hire actors the caliber of Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman...use them.
In this case, Craig's heroic Lord Asriel - Lyra's noble uncle - all but disappears from the movie about 25 minutes in. But even the little screen time that Craig has is wasted on a severely under-written character. It's a waste of Craig's talent. And his salary.
Kidman, meanwhile, as the aptly named, evil Ms. Coulter, looks regal, cold, calculating and appropriately ominous - but the development of her character is such that she's supposed to walk around looking regal, cold, calculating and appropriately ominous. So it's an easy trick.
3. Assume your audience is not among the Baby Einstein / Veggie Tales set.
Really, I don't care how cute and adorable the CGI animal sidekicks are - you really mustn't make these adorable little creatures say stupid, obvious things that both the audience and the characters have already figured out.
For example: If Lyra is in danger, don't have her daemon say, "We need to get out of here!"
Example No. 2: If a clearly devilish character is trying to explain away the insidious doings of the film's villains, don't have her daemon say, "Liar!"
4. Do not, under any circumstances, have an animated polar bear with the noble, kingly, naturally seductive British voice of Ian McKellen say to an 11-year-old girl, "You want to ride me?"
It will only provoke laughter and discomfort.
When creating major action set-pieces - say, between a talking Armored Bear who wants to regain his nobility by fighting his greatest nemesis - you should probably make sure it has something to do with the rest of the story. Otherwise, it's not a setpiece anymore - it's just gratuitous.
6. More Eva Green.
7. More Eva Green.
8. When designing talking, computer-generated animals - polar bears, for instance - it would be best if they didn't conjure images of a certain animated mascot of a certain delicious and world-famous soft drink. It's 2007 - let's put a little effort into our CGI, shall we?
The best news, for all of us, is that the film also ends with a cheap set-up for an inevitable sequel. So if it weren't already enough that the film was lifeless as it is, Weitz has deprived us of even a simple payoff. Well-done.

KATHA PARAYUMBOL-MALAYALAM FILM REVIEW

Film: 'Katha Parayumbol'

Cast: Sreenivasan, Mammootty, Meena, Innocent and Salim Kumar; Director: M. Mohanan; Music: M. Jayachandran; Script: Sreenivasan; Producer: Mukesh-Sreenivasan

Sreenivasan has an uncanny knack of keeping himself in the limelight. His latest film 'Katha Parayumbol', in which he dons the three-in-one role of writer-actor-producer, is the clear winner of the season. Directed by debutant M. Mohanan, the film has Mammootty in an extended cameo; but it is Sreenivasan who stays in the viewers' mind.
Sreenivasan plays a character that is outstanding only in its ordinariness. But he elevates it to a class of its own. His is the role of Balan, a barber in a village fighting modernisation in his own antiquated ways.
He can't afford a revolving chair, now an essential for his trade. His tools are out-dated and he cannot afford to replace them. And no authorised agency will lend him money because he refuses to grease the palms of the powers-that-be.
Balan is a middle-aged man with three kids in school. He had eloped and married his sweetheart and settled in this hilly village, far from the urban world. He is an object of ridicule for all and sundry. His kids are nearly thrown out of the school for non-payment of fees. His wife has no idea where their next meal will come from.
Balan's only defence mechanism against the harsh existential realities is his wit and his barbed tongue.
But, all this changes when superstar Ashok Raj (Mammootty) makes an appearance in the village for a film shoot. Ashok is supposedly Balan's childhood friend. So the whole village converges around Balan seeking his favour for a meeting with the superstar. Balan is reluctant to approach the star thinking that Ashok may have forgotten his lowly friend in these intervening years.
The ultimate clincher for this film is its script. Authored by Sreenivasan, it is so layered that every frame has a comment to make about the world and every line of the dialogue on the mores of the society. The craze for celebrities and the problems of leading a principled life are discussed without being preachy or in-your-face.
Mammootty has the dignified presence of a real star and his aura and the mythical persona that surrounds him give a lifelike feel to the character of Ashok Raj.
There are other characters that fill up the space to present a microcosmic universe. The moneylender played by Innocent and the pseudo-intellectual poet played by Salim Kumar are hilarious. Meena plays the well-etched character of Balan's beautiful wife.
'Katha Parayumbol' has Sreenivasan's stamp all over it, and can claim to be one of his best.

Courtesy:KIFY NEWS

TOLLYWOOD NEWS

VETERAN ACTRESS ANJALIDEVI TO BE HONOURED

Veteran actress of yesteryears Anjali Devi will be honoured with ANR National Award. The annual award has been instituted by Akkineni International Foundation and is presented at national level to a distinguished individual for outstanding service and contribution to Indian cinema.
On Friday (January 4, 2008), Akkineni Nageshwara Rao announced the award to Anjali Devi with whom he had acted in about 50 films such as Keelu Gurram, Suvarna Sundari (1957), Bhakta Tukaram, etc.
"She is living legend and versatile actress. Of the 250 films I had acted in, 50 films had her as actress. Anjali Devi is also a good friend to our family," Akkineni told the media.Venkat Akkineni said the the jury consisting of T Subbirami Reddy and Boney Kapoor selected Anjali Devi for her contribution to Indian cinema both as an actress and as a producer.
The award will be presented to her on January 14th. Dev Anand was the first recipient of ANR Award.

NANDAMURI KALYAN RAM IN DUAL ROLE

For the first time Nandamuri Kalyan Ram is donning two roles in his current film. According to sources, Kalyan Ram does dual role in his home production that is being directed by Harsha Vardhan. It is produced by his brother Janakiram and is shot lavishly with Rs 9 Crore budget.
As his career is in doldrums, Kalyan Ram is said to be working hard. This is the costliest film in his career. Priymani is the female lead.
Currently the shooting is progressing in Hyderabad. "Okadecchesadu" is the title under consideration.

WHEN DASARI AND CHIRU CRACKED JOKES

Is everything okay between megastar Chiranjeevi and Union Minister Dasari Narayana Rao? Or is it just 'show-off'? Putting speculations of widening distance between Dasari and Chiru, the duo had good time at the lunch of latter's father Venkat Rao's 10th day ceremony. Chiru and Dasari were seen discussing and having nice talk at the lunch.
Remember few days ago Dasari, a Congress politician, indulged in verbal attack on Chiru. There is also talk that megastar is not happy with the veteran director for various reasons. Comments

TOLLYWOOD

Silicon Valley expresses confidence in Chiru

2nd JAN 2008The following is a press note. As part of its national campaign of "Change & Hope with Chiranjeevi", Progressive Telugu Forum(PTF) organized its fifth event in Sunnyvale,CA on 12/29/07. PTF Bay Area Co-ordinators Srinivas Manapragada and Kalyan Palla welcommed the audience . All the attendees observed two minutes silence and paid homage to Sri Venkat Rao and hoped Chiranjeevi would recover from this shock soon. Ram Tatineni, Nataional Convener of PTF started the meeting and conveyed the "Change & Hope With Chiranjeevi" message to the audience and explained need of the day for the state of AP to have an alternate political party with leadership of Chiranjeevi. Noted california Indian journalist Mr Sam Rao participated in the event. Several local area activists and Chiranjeevi Well-Wishers participated in the discussion and expressed their opinion on wide variety of topics including the need for the new party, policies of new party, how to avoid corrupt/criminal political leaders from other parties to new party. Speakers included Srinivas Manapragada, Kalyan Palla,Lakshman,Bharath,Srikanth Doddapaneni and others. Photos of the events can be viewed at http://picasaweb.google.com/ramtatineni PTF is organizing two more events in Detroit and Chicago this weekend on 01/05 and 01/06 as part of national campaign USA. For more details please visit http://www.chiruforap.com/

NTR, Ramcharan, Genelia, Kammula bag FNCC awards

FNCC (Film Nagar Cultural Center) Awards were given out on 31st December in Hyderaebad. The time frame considered for the awards is Dec 2006 to Nov 2007. Awards in few categories were announced from sealed envolopes. The awards committe consisted of 14 members. Suma anchored the event while Nataraj, Poonam Bhajwa, Abhinaya Sri, Archana, Gauri Munjal provided entertainment with their dance number. NTR is adjudged the best actor for his scintillating performances in both Rakhee and Yamadonga. KS Ramarao, Aswini Dutt, Arjuna Raju and KL Narayana gave out the award to NTR. Genelia bagged the best actress award for Dhee and she received it from Ramanaidu. KL Narayana gave the best comedian award to Brahmanandam while Sindhu Menon got the best supporting actress for her role in Chandamama. KM Radhakrishna received best music director award for Chandamama and Ratnavelu got best cinematographer for his work in jagadam. Best script writer award went to Posani Krishnamurali and Sekhar Kammula got best screenplay writer. Happy Days is the best film while Chandamama got the special jury award. Sekhar Kammula got best director award. Ramcharan Teja received the sensational star of 2007. Talking on the awards, NTR thanked Krishnavamsi and Rajamouli for Rakhee and Yamadonga. 'Rakhee gave me a new lease of life and Yamadonga got me into rejuvenated spirits', said NTR. This is the first award for Ramcharan Teja and he thanked Puri Jagannath for the award.

Gopichand's Ontari in Feb 2008

1st JAN 2008Gopichand, Bhavana starring Ontari, produced by Pokuri Baburao in the direction of BV Ramana, will release in February of 2008. This is announced by the producer at a pressmeet held at the shooting locatino (Madhapur). Sarvesh Murari is handling camera for this film. Pokuri Baburao also added, 'For the first time, our banner is planning songs in overseas. About the film, the film will narrate the strange circumstances that turns the hero into Ontari who otherwise has a lovable family'. Pokuri Baburao earlier produced Ranam and Yagnam with Gopichand. Both of them are good hits at the box office. Babu Rao said that his aim is to see that they make Ontari bigger than Lakshyam, recent superhit of Gopichand, at the box office. Gopichand is very confident about the film. 'After Lakshyam, the responsibility on me just mounted. Ontari will surely cater to it', said Gopichand. And this is the first film in Telugu for Malyalee girl Bhavana.

With thanks to TOTAL TOLYWOOD

bollywood news

Kareena Kapoor to design own line of clothing

Numerous Bollywood actors have been endorsing clothing brands. But actor Kareena Kapoor is toeing the line as she gets ready to design her own line of clothing. Her simple but stylish looks in Jab We Met have been appreciated and the movie has been a hit. Kapoor will be launching her line of clothes for a retail brand that she has been endorsing. Hollywood actors Jennifer Lopez and Victoria Beckham have designed their own line of clothing in the past. In India, Kapoor will be the first Bollywood actor to design her own line of clothing. Kapoor is a popular face in Bollywood and currently brand ambassador of products like Globus, Head and Shoulders and recently Anne French. Globus has been promoting her looks in outdoor hoardings and a Head and Shoulders video starring the Jab We Met actor is all over TV channels.

Courtesy: Business of cinema

AAMIR KHAN RECENT INTERVIEW

'As a director to get the shot's judgment right while being in front of the camera was the biggest challenge' - Aamir Khan
By HETAL ADESARA



Today Aamir Khan – the actor, producer and director - is on Cloud 9. Taare Zameen Par - his directorial debut has opened to a heartwarming response from the audience and critics alike.

In the critical wee hours before the movie’s release, a nail biting Aamir Khan spoke to Businessofcinema.com and fielded questions about the film, his apprehension about how the audience would react to it and more.

His greatest fear of the audience rejecting the film has been put to rest and he has cleared his exam with flying colours – distinction in hand.

Like a proud parent, Aamir holds his newest baby – Taare Zameen Par - close to his heart and talks animatedly about the hard labour that went in until the baby was finally born on 21 December, 2007.

Excerpts from a heart to heart…

What is your opinion of the movie now that it’s complete and ready for release?
I am very excited about the movie. I think it is a very important film and I loved the script when I had heard it first. I am very keen to know the reaction of the audience.

Amongst your contemporaries, you are the first one to produce, direct and act in the same movie. How did you juggle between the three roles and how easy or difficult was it for you?
It was very difficult and it comes with its own demands. But it is not like it hasn’t been done before. A lot of great personalities have done it like Raj Kapoor, Manoj Kumar, Shantaram ji just to name a few who have acted and directed successfully. Of course it comes with its own demands and it was difficult.

Well as a producer I had to be involved mostly in the evenings after the shooting got over to discuss production issues for the coming days of shooting. The tough one was acting and directing at the same time. As an actor you come to the sets and go straight to the make up room and get ready. You live with your lines and you’re preparing from the actor’s point of view. You are not concerned with the other crew members or cast. You don’t have to spend the time with them; you are spending time with yourself.

As a director your job is quite contrary to that as you actually have to be on the sets first and not in the makeup room. You have to have discussions with your creative team - the DOP, the production designer, the sound person, the art director and you figure out how you have to plot the scene and take the shot. Then you have spend time with each actor who are in the scene that day, instruct them and get them ready for the scene.

I first went to the sets first and gave instructions. Then I used to go to the makeup room and get ready. Then I came back on the sets again to talk to the actors while the lighting was being set up. It was more like going back and forth. You have to be in two places at the same time.

When you are facing the camera and giving the shot as an actor; the director in you has to judge if the shot and angle is right as you can’t see yourself and the other actors. So you have to be able to sense and judge intuitively whether you got the shot right and managed to capture the moment. I had to judge whether Darsheel or any other actor who was with me did it right. To get that judgment right was a challenge and you have to be very alert.

How has this movie helped you as an individual and as a parent?The concept of the film was not mine, it was Amol’s (Gupte) concept. The dialogues are also written by him so it is his film from scratch. When I heard the story it had a great impact on me. Not only did I find the script brilliant but it was a moving, uplifting and heartwarming script.
Another important thing that happened to me when I heard the script was that it sensitized me more towards my children. And mind you, I think I am a very good father. But even beyond that I felt that this script brought me closer to kids and my kids in particular.

Could you elaborate on how it brought you closer to your kids?
It helped me understand and connect with them better. I give a lot of time to my kids but that is not enough. It is important at what level are you connecting with them and how much are you hearing them out. You have to be alert to their feelings, fears and excitement. It is important to what extent you are able to understand that the child is an individual standing in front of you who has his own thoughts, feelings etc.

In our lives, as adults we have our own responsibilities and worries and we are immersed in our work. Our kids become the soft focus somewhere in the midst of all this. This movie helped me to bring the sharp focus back on my kids.

To complete the answer, when I felt this, I wanted to share this with people and the parents of the country. This is a very important film for parents and for the youth of today who in some years’ time will themselves be parents. And of course it is for kids too as it is about them so many will identify with it.

Is Taare Zameen Par an entertainer or a serious film?
If by entertainment you mean whether it has an item song, short skirts, heroine, romance, action – this film does not have any of these. It does not have the normal ingredients of a film but nonetheless it is an entertaining film. It is very much a mainstream film. By that I mean that no matter how different the subject is, it is my firm belief that this movie is going to be very popular amongst audiences. In the history of Indian cinema, a film like this has never been made before. It has the capacity to touch the cords of many hearts and in that sense it is entertaining and engaging. I don’t know if I am right or wrong.

Courtesy: BUSINESS OF CINEMA