Laughing Riot

I watched this 1941 black-n-white movie on TV yesterday and enjoyed it immensely! Makes me smile even now. (I love B&W movies!) I just stopped short of rolling on the floor and laughing at times. At first, it seems like an absolutely lighthearted, silly, slap-stick comedy with no care for logic or maturity. But underneath the veil of comedy, there were a couple of important and not-so-hidden messages for the people of that era (and maybe even for us). A delightful sugar coated pill, in short. Apart from the humor, the content of the messages was another reason why I enjoyed the movie. It appears to be one of the oldest movies celebrating the concept of feminism....or at least equality....and it indirectly celebrates literacy as well. Overall, it was a ridiculous and jolly riot worth every frame.

The hero and his male servant were tremendous with their expressions and the latter's character was that of a typical illiterate and dumb villager who is capable of following orders without any thought whatsoever. The movie has its leading women helping their husbands with their education! :-) I was so kicked about this movie that I decided to check out Wikipedia for information on it and was not disappointed. Wikipedia has everything under the sun! :-) This movie will bring a smile to my face whenever I think of it. Sabash Sabapathy!! :-D

Update: Here's a link to the movie in the IMDB, with a positive review! And I just realized that this is akin to Wodehouse's Bertie Wooster stories except that Bertie has the most intelligent companion in Jeeves.

Textbook Vs Novel

Without wanting to sound like I am a pure intellectual or something, I have to say that I rarely read interviews with movie stars. Admittedly, there were days when I used to find them exciting.....but that was long ago. Slowly realized there was very little worth reading....except maybe interviews with a few rare actors who are sincere and passionate about their profession, have admirable values, are 'surprisingly' intelligent & wise and also possess the uncanny knack of dealing with tricky questions that they are likely to be subjected to - which, of course, makes for interesting reading. So, when this one came to me and stared me in the face.....and an excerpt attached to the link made it look quite appealing as well....I decided to get the mouse to work on the link. And I don't regret reading it....not a waste of time, this one. I simply loved the last Q&A. Loved it. In case you're not bothered about the whole interview, here it is....

Interviewer: What’s your take on your status as one of the rare Indian actors to be considered a textbook in acting?

Kamal: Textbooks are boring, so I hope I am not that. Anybody or anything that indulges in pontification is boring and stagnant. I would rather be a novel that’s unputdownable. I have no rules and the best possible way I could become a textbook is when others learn from my mistakes.

Wow, I mean......! Impressive & intelligent answer....

A Star is born!

Taare Zameen Par (Stars on earth)! What an absolutely amazing and awesome movie! I was thoroughly moved and touched by it and indulged in every bit of it. The boy (Darsheel) who plays the central character, Ishaan, is undoubtedly a star. I would be utterly surprised if this boy's portrayal of the central character hasn't completely engaged everyone who has seen the movie - children and adults alike. If there's a movie that's made me cry even after stepping out of the theatre, then this is the one. A must-watch. If you don't watch this movie, you've missed something that ought not to be missed. I will not even try explaining my emotional response to the theme and the content of the movie, because a) I think this is a movie that one should experience personally and b) I might not do justice to my feelings!

PS: It will go into my all-time favourites list as one of the favouritest ;)