Plagiarism (aka Chori Pe Chori)......

Saw this article in The Telegraph India the other day: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090806/jsp/calcutta/story_11324943.jsp

So the Bollywood bigwigs have decided to sue the Bengali makers for ripping off their film........so what better time to post my thoughts on both industries!?

I'll start off with the Bengali movies - being a Bengali, I've tried to follow these from a young age. As I've grown up, I've begun to appreciate the older B&W movies (which I'll come back to later), I stuck with the films through the 80s and 90s (which in all honesty, were God-awful), and was glad to see production values starting to pick up in the last five years (if I'm not wrong, the first cinemascope Bengali film was released about 7 years ago - more than 15 years after the Bollywood films were regularly cinemascope). Anyway, although things have technically improved (special mention to music director Jeet Ganguly for restoring my interest in Bengali soundtracks), unfortunately, only a handful of directors are making original films. The majority of the films I've seen or read about in the past few years have been unashamedly ripped off from South Indian films. Examples:

Bhalobasha Bhalobasha - ripped from Bommarillu (Telugu)

Chirodini Tumi Je Aamar - ripped from Kaadhal (Tamil)

Saathi - ripped from Thuladha Manamum Thullum (Tamil)

Bandhan - ripped from Santhosham (Telugu)

Jor - ripped from Ghilli (Tamil)

And then you have the films ripped from Hindi movies:

Poran Jai Joliya Re - Namaste London

Saat Pake Bandha - Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hai

Champion - Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar

Ghatak - Bhai

There's only a handful of films that have been mildly original - Bor Ashbe Ekhuni and Bidhatar Lekha come to mind, and even these weren't even great stories by any means. The only decent original films that come to mind are those adapted from literature like Pitribhoomi (why isn't Bengali literature used more often?), and those films by 'arthouse' directors like Rituparno Ghosh.

This situation is a far cry from the way things used to be - most Hindi films were rip offs of Bengali films in the 70s - more examples:

Kora Kagaz - ripped from Saat Pake Bandha (old)

Bawarchi - ripped from Golpo Holeo Sotti

Chupke Chupke - ripped from Chadmabeshi

So why have things reversed? Firstly, it's sheer laziness on part of the Bengali directors- they'll use the excuse that they need to do something to bring audiences to the cinema halls - and in some ways, although I can partially understand why South Indian films are ripped off, I don't see the point in copying Hindi films scene for scene, when most people have probably seen the originals.

Secondly, it's a bit hypocritical for the Hindi film industry to complain about foul play when most films there are rip offs of South Indian or English films.

Overall, it's a pretty sad state of affairs. The last film I was partially motivated to see in the cinema was Ghajini (ironically another 'remake'), and that was more so I could meet up with a mate than because I wanted to watch the film. It would be nice if both the Hindi and Bengali industry could do with some freshness in their films - if the South Indians can do it, why not us?

Antaheen

First post on a specific film, no doubt first of many to come. Managed to watch the Bengali film Antaheen earlier this week. I was a little apprehensive before watching it, as most of the Bengali off-beat films are pretty dark and depressing, but after watching Antaheen, I was pleasantly surprised. I haven't seen director Aniruddh Roy Chowdhury's first film Anuranan yet (despite having a copy of the film - although people who know me will vouch that that is something quite normal for me......), so didn't really know what to expect.

Antaheen is a film about relationships - about two people who start to fall in love by chatting online but not seeing each other, about a separated married couple who are still in love, and married couple living together with cracks in the relationship......... In all honesty, the film doesn't have a story as such, but the screenplay catches your attention from the start, and for the most part, this turns out to be quite an engrossing film, despite the leisurely pace. And what makes the film is the characters populating it - all of them are straight out of life. The 'lead pair' are played by Rahul Bose and Radhika Apte, but each of the supporting characters played by Aparna Sen, Sharmila Tagore, Mita Vashisht and Kalyan Ray stand out. Special mention go to Radhika Apte and Kalyan Ray - I think this may be their debut film, and they both shine in their roles. Radhika reminds you of a few people - but the closest comparison I can think of is a chilled out version of Nandita Das!!

Overall, this film is well worth a watch - and after it finishes, it stays with you, making you want to spend more time with your loved ones. I was knackered though, so I just went to bed.

First impressions......

I guess I should write something of some significance here.............but I'm won't bother trying. The reason I've set this up is because I'm supposed to be doing work, I can't be bothered, and I need something to occupy me for the next half hour or so until I go to bed.

So, I'm planning on posting on this every time I should be doing work and can't be bothered (which is fairly often). Posts will probably be about films (Hollywood, Bollywood, and Bengali films), music and books, and anything else I think of.

I'm currently watching Season 3 of Prison Break - I never got around to watching this when it was originally on TV, so brought the boxset of the first 3 seasons for around £50 (way cheaper than in HMV or somewhere), and have been working my way through it. It is well worth a watch, especially if you're into stuff like 24. Part of the reason I don't get much work done is that I end up trying to work in front of the TV.....................really should try another approach. My excuse that it's next to impossible to spend all day in the office staring at a computer screen, then to come home and do more work..........but I guess that's the nature fo the beast.

Anyway, only two days left to the weekend - bring it on!