Boro asha koray...

Hitlist released a week ago. By Sandip Ray and therefore it merited ma's rare forays outdoors. I actually went a day ahead to Nandan, queued patiently for 45 minutes for the ticket counters to open.The movie just a little less than 2 hours is housefull show after show. However, the plot is so shoddy. Cinematography so arbit; Screenplay so run of the mill. A plethora of well known faces with so little to do.

Despite all the negatives, people are coming in droves. Atleast its better than the average tollywood output", ma said.

So much asha Sandip babu. Alas the ashas are not fulfilled. But we keep hoping that it will be. One of these days...he is going to prove to us that he is indeed a chip of the old block.

And that is the reason, Hitlist becomes an unintentional hit.

Mukul....Monay Poraychey?

...Sonar Kella?

Yesterday was Satyajit Ray's 88th Birth anniversary. Tai...his life and times and films was the main story on television yesterday. And a special treat in store: Sonar Kella. I first heard of it as a little girl, in Assam from a friend who had seen it on a recent trip to Kolkata. And what stayed with me was the magic thrill of the deep whisper "Mukul...monay porayche? Sonar Kella".

Years later, when I finally did get to see the film, I think I wept for joy. And each subsequent time, I have lingered over, loved and lapped up every full stop comma, characters, dialogues! And I can say with a lot of confidence that I am not the only one. There was this legendary comedian Louis de Feunes - star of the Gendarme series. My prof at Ecole De Roche told our class that "Le Gendarme" on it's release was seen by 90% of France. Only the very young and the very old and infirm didn't. I think Sonar Kella would be comparable (among bengalis that is). This might not be Ray's best work, however, it has a special special place that cannot be taken by anything else...not even, Ray's other works.

Most of the actors, technicians are gone or retired. Another Sonar Kella cannot be created (the very thought is sacrilegous) and yet it lives on...each time, we find it on TV, we watch it as if for the first time. And so strong is the magic that we wait for the new feluda movies although they pale in comparison - not for the lack of trying though. We understand and accept that. We wait eagerly for the new feluda and go and WATCH it (I saw the last one twice). And it was SRK's bad luck that his "Rab Ne Bana di Jodi" opened along with Feluda and was ofcourse, sidelined!!

How can we ever forget? And one generation will pass on the magic to the next and we will forever wait for Mukul to remember his Sonar Kella.

Catching Mithya

A few summers back on a lovely evening, when we were in Paris, we wanted to watch a movie. We tried hall after hall (Odeon has three or four multiplexes and a few smaller ones) only to find all shows full. At last, we found one which had only two tickets remaining, so we bought them...and found ourselves in the front row, maybe 4 or 5 feet from the screen. Halls there are on average much smaller than in India (or atleast in the Metros, maybe even elsewhere). The images were pixillated at that distance and matters were worsened by the fact that it was a Ben Stiller movie...

The other day, went to watch Mithya, 11am show - no rush for tickets - reached the multiplex with seconds to spare... and were "ushered" in by the usher who led us into the theatre and up the stairs and said, "Sit anywhere you like and enjoy the movie"!

We were the only one in the large hall!

A bit like we owned it! Or a private screening for just the two of us!

Am not sure if I was entirely happy with it. I like to watch movies with others, certainly with A, or friends or in a full-ish hall. Its a bit like when I read an interesting book, I have to get others to read it, or read out bits to them...

However, a novel experience!