From Arty to Bloody Sweet
Dear Reader,
It’s me, Deepanjana, editor at Film Companion, ranter at large, maker of useless GIFs and this week’s newsletter writer.
I’m writing on Friday 13th, so this GIF seemed fitting. Also, if creepy creatures are your thing, check this out.
Last week, something precious dropped into some of our inboxes: The list of films that will be screened at the JioMAMI Mumbai Film Festival. This year, the festival — which will run from October 25th to November 7th — returns after a three-year hiatus and going through the lineup, I almost bobbed around the office in delight, like an untethered helium balloon. Because, reader, it’s a really good lineup.
This festival has spoilt us silly — by which I mean it’s become pretty much normal for the big winners from festivals like Cannes, Berlin, Venice and Locarno to show at JioMAMI Mumbai Film Festival. This year continues that trend (though there are a few significant misses). However, the pandemic years have also seen some really brilliant films being made by indie filmmakers in India and I was thrilled to see titles like Rapture, Kayo Kayo Colour and Sthal as well as documentaries like A Night of Knowing Nothing, Against the Tide, and The Golden Thread in the festival lineup. Also Anurag Kashyap’s new film Kennedy is going to have its Indian premiere at the festival. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this film about a cop-turned-assassin as much as I did, but Kennedy really is Kashyap in peak form.
Of course, as real as this glee is the inevitable heartbreak of not being able to win the jackpot when it comes to booking tickets for shows. Not being quick enough to score a seat for the film that you’ve been hoping to see for months is almost guaranteed to happen, especially if you have highly-acclaimed films in your watchlist. Here are three pro-tips from me as an experienced and scarred film-fest-er:
If you’re not in the mood to brave crowds and queues, try to pick venues with many seats (like, for instance, Regal in Colaba, or the Grand Theatre at NMACC).
When you don’t get tickets for the film you want, choose a less-talked-about title. There’s nothing quite as lovely as the feeling of making a discovery. For me, it’s the best part of attending a film festival.
If you have a choice between the foreign indie film and the Indian indie film, choose the Indian one. The foreign title has more of a chance of surfacing online. Film festivals are the only chances to see non-commercial Indian films and if you haven’t watched much of Indian indie films, you’ll be in for a treat.
If the thought of choosing from 250 films gives you a headache, we’ve compiled two lists with the pick of Indian and international titles from the festival lineup.
Back to the Picket Lines
When the Writers’ Guild of America (WGA) arrived at a deal with the American Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) last month, everyone thought it was just a matter of time before the actors would also call off their strike. Think again. Last week, Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) accused the AMPTP of bullying tactics while the AMPTP said the gap between the two sides is “too great”.
Variety reported that SAG-AFTRA wants a share of streaming revenue for all union-covered shows — both made-for-streaming and films and TV shows licensed from other platforms — which would go well beyond the success-based bonus won by the WGA. The AMPTP has offered SAG-AFTRA the same terms as those accepted by the WGA.
For now, the stalemate continues.
Is Leo a Part of the LCU?
Lokesh Kanagaraj has made it every bit difficult to figure out the answer. But he repeatedly says in his interviews that he’ll only direct 10 films, in which case, this is the last time he would be working with Vijay directly. Wouldn’t he want Vijay to be a part of his cinematic universe?
Kicking out the personal logic, let’s create and debunk a few fan theories. Is Sandy, who plays the serial killer, a younger version of Suriya’s Rolex? Well, with their monstrous eyes and the evil smile, we would love that. But he gets thrashed by Vijay in the fight at the town centre. And as ardent Rolex fans, that’s not something we want. However, we did find an interesting connection between the Das’s. Kaithi’s Anbu Das (or Dos) and his brother Adaikalam could very well be related to the Das brothers — Leo Das, Harold Das and Antony Das.
If Narain was the connection between Kaithi and Vikram, we smell George Maryan being the cop link between Leo and Kaithi. It is not just that Maryan, who played a pivotal role in the Kaithi climax, was seen at Leo’s launch event, but we also got the still of Thiruchirapalli police station set in Leo (the film’s production designer apparently posted and deleted the image). Now tell me, if not for the Kaithi connection, why would Harold Das from Andhra Pradesh or Leo Das aka Parthi from Himachal Pradesh be in the same place?
Speaking of Andhra Pradesh, rumours are rife that we could have a Ram Charan cameo…or is it Vijay Deverakonda? Either way, a major event at the AP forest check post might occur (credits: the trailer) and there is literally nothing bloody sweet than a cameo in a Lokesh film. Will Trisha survive? Probably. What about Priya Anand? Probably not.
Finally, there is something distinctive about LCU films: there is a fine line drawn between the heroes and the villains. Kamal’s Vikram or Fahadh Faasil’s Amar would never cross and reach the sides of Suriya’s Rolex and Arjun Das’ Anbu. But here we have…Leo Das aka Parthi. If Leo is on Rolex’s side, well, it looks like Parthi would any day side with Vikram. So, hello, Parthi, neenga nallavara illa kettavara?
Until then, we're all this person. ~ FC South
This week at the Movies
On streaming platforms, Milan Luthria’s Sultan of Delhi dropped on Disney+ Hotstar. The less said about this show the better.
Kiss ≠ Chemistry
Last week, Animal dropped its first song “Hua Main”, and the Indian internet immediately went into a tizzy. Are we the only culture in the world that gets this excited at the sight of two actors kissing? Is it because a significant stretch of our cultural history has been spent steeped in metaphoric representations of sex like bobbing flowers and sunsets? Whatever the reason, “Hua Main” shows our standards aren’t particularly high when it comes to on-screen chemistry. While a few of us rolled our eyes at yet another submissive heroine in a Sandeep Reddy Vanga film, others were reduced to lusty puddles at the sight of Ranbir Kapoor and Rashmika Mandanna, and thanks were given that Kapoor has upped his on-screen kissing game since Brahmastra: Part One - Shiva. Admittedly, Hindi cinema was a little late to enter the kissing booth, but the kind of excitement that “Hua Main” has evoked feels unwarranted. (You want to see two people who can’t hold themselves back, watch Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer devour each other’s faces in Frankie and Johnny.)
Rashmika Mandanna and Ranbir Kapoor in Animal.
We’ve had better, sexier screen kisses than what unfolds in “Hua Main” (Raja Hindustani, despite Karishma Kapoor’s relentless giggling; and Band Baaja Baarat, to name two off the top of my head). It’s ironic that we have to rewind to the days when on-screen kisses weren’t common, to find good examples. These days, kissing scenes have become almost standard practice and most of the time, they inspire about as much of a hormonal fizz as homework. If you really want to see on-screen chemistry, go back to when kissing was not an option and actors had to make their eyes do all the hard work of making you melt. Like Guru Dutt watching Waheeda Rehman sleep in “Chaudvin ka Chand” or the way Shammi Kapoor looked at Saira Banu in “Ehsan Tera Hoga Mujh Par”. Maybe if kissing was taken off the table again, directors and actors would work a little harder at seduction and give us scenes that can match the intensity of Rajesh Khanna eating Sharmila Tagore up with his eyes in “Roop Tera Mastana”. You want to see two people going bonkers with lust? Watch Dharmendra and Rakhee in “Mile Mile Do Badan” from Blackmail. They’re hiding in a pile of logs, surrounded by snarling dogs and bad guys, but all the two of them can think about is making out. Now that’s dedication to desire.
That’s all from us this week. We’ll be back, same time, same place with next week’s newsletter and don’t forget to tell your friends to subscribe — this isn’t Fight Club and rules about secrecy don’t apply, so feel free to tell everyone you know.