Of Cities, Cultures and Green Screen Cinema
Dear Reader,
Assuming you watch a lot of films (of course, why else would you be here?), do small things like seeing your neighbourhood, your closest metro station or places you frequent in your city or town being represented on the big screen excite you? One of the pettiest pleasures I experience as an ardent movie buff is seeing theatres I know in films. And seeing a theatre in a film, while you are watching it in the same theatre (hope you are following the Nolan-esque paradox) just unlocks a new level of petty cinematic joy.
I experienced this for the first time in 2006 while watching Allu Arjun’s Happy in Hyderabad’s popular Prasads multiplex. The film featured not just shots of the multiplex in its opening song, ‘Chal chal re’ but also a scene with Allu Arjun and Genelia inside the mall, arguing on an escalator, the same escalator that we, the patrons had to use to get to the theatre to see the film. Uff. The paradox, I understand, can be hard to follow, and only the most trivial minds understand it. When this happened, I was as kicked about it as Rick Dalton in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood when he saw his character appear on TV. And more recently, I was reminded of this joy while watching the Malayalam film, Premalu in AMB cinemas, where the mall I was watching the film in is featured in a montage shot.
And weirdly enough, it is sacrosanct to note there is a connection between Happy and Premalu too! Sachin (Nasleen), a Malayali youngster trying to find some purpose in his life in Hyderabad, sings the Malayalam version of ‘Chal chal re’ from Happy, which apparently is quite popular among Malayalis! Honestly, I find it both amusing and sad that a Malayalam film made the Hyderbadi-me feel more represented than most of the Telugu films we see week in and out. We, being the ungrateful human beings we are, have the proclivity to take things always accessible to us for granted. I’ll limit that to cities and their representation in films because this newsletter ain’t a therapy space, but you get the point, right? Perhaps we, along with most of the filmmakers, have been living the hell out of Hyderabad for many years that we’re no longer seeing what’s so special about it. That’s why we needed an outsider, Girish AD, to come and remind us that it’s okay to celebrate our city, to say that’s okay to place the camera in a regular street, and that it’s unbelievably annoying at this point to see Hyderabad representation being relegated to drone shots of Durgam Cheruvu cable bridge, which has manifested itself into the contemporary-equivalent of aerial shots of Charminar and Buddha Statue from the 2000s. Yet another ground-breaking, medium-bending thing that Premalu managed to accomplish: shoot the actors ride on the actual roads of Hyderabad instead of filming them on a green screen and keying the background with terrible stock footage. Bravo, team Premalu! Take a bow!
At times when films are making us wonder if cinema is going back into the studio, with the advent of virtual production technologies enabling filmmakers to simulate and control environments as they desire, seeing the real city came as a breath of fresh air, an escape from the suffocating plasticity of stock footage, green screen and the monotony of film sets exuding a palpable sense of artificiality. I can think of films like Month of Madhu and Bubblegum that make use of real locations. What Premalu did is neither novel nor ground-breaking but it is important. Sure, there is always space for counter-arguments like logistical challenges of filming with popular Telugu stars and they are valid, but what matters is the intent. A massive star-led film named Guntur Kaaram being shot almost entirely in a studio set-up in Hyderabad only counters the supposed ‘rural’ and ‘lively’ vibe the film’s title suggests. It’s important that films document our times, our present, and its trivial aspects too. More importantly, all the cinematic documentation aside, imagine the kind of joy it’ll give to a 10-year-old seeing a spot he/she is familiar with get represented on this medium, which we still believe is larger-than-life. I think it’s okay for the medium to capture the life, regardless of how trivial the idea may sound. ~ Ram Venkat Srikar
Our Reviews This Week
Missed our latest reviews? Fear not, we've got them all lined up, just for you.
Dune: Part Two - Despite an impressive cast, the second part of director Denis Villeneuve’s space opera lacks spice.
Laapataa Ladies - Director Kiran Rao’s winning satire carries an independent heart in a mainstream body.
Por - Bejoy Nambiar’s film is about the reckless yet teaching years of anyone’s life — college. Now, a theme as dramatic as this can’t be this unexciting, one would think. Por proves otherwise.
Operation Valentine - Inspired by true events, the film not only fails to arouse you with intense drama but barely makes you care for the proceedings.
Poor Things - Director Yorgos Lanthimos teams up with Stone to make his best film yet. Poor Things has been nominated in 11 categories at the Oscars.
May December - A devastating take on performance, pretense and pain.
Joshua Imai Pol Kaakha - Without GVM's usual touch, the flaws are glaring in this action film.
Dange - The craft is so proudly visible in director Bejoy Nambiar’s film that it overwhelms everything else.
The Boy and the Heron - Hayao Miyazaki’s latest film is a semi-autobiographical venture. It has been nominated in the ‘Best Animated Film’ category at the Oscars 2024.
Fairy Folk - A playful and poignant take on marital burnout.
Finding Love In Cities
Summer Strike, Charlie and Kadhalum Kadandhu Pogum. These three films from three different landscapes have something in common besides topping my favourites list. The central character moves to a new city — escaping in a few and chasing in a few others. But they eventually find themselves running towards something. Exploring the new city lets them know a little more about themselves and find something/someone they love.
Moving to a new city is a chance to turn over a new leaf, but sometimes when you don’t get to flee, here are some filmy equivalents you might need.
Hridayam - This Malayalam film is an ode to Chennai. It is in this city that Pranav Mohanlal’s Arun finds love and his first heartbreak too, but it is also here he discovers the meaning of life.
Summer Strike - A lot of us feel burnout or reach a certain point where our routine might seem meaningless. When Lee Yeo Reum decides enough is enough at her toxic workplace, she calls it quits and moves to Angok. Having always chased stability, she chooses to take it slow in this quiet town, mostly spending her time reading books. And she breathes, lives and loves…
Kadhalum Kadandhu Pogum - Yaazhini leaves home at 20 to join her first job. She tastes freedom and love but what’s this genre without a lot of learning? Her dreams are crushed and she moves to a 1RK building, with no friends or job. She struggles but also finds someone who will be by her side even if everything goes wrong again.
Charlie / Maara - A woman moves to a different city to escape the pressures of marriage and her curiosity for a story leads her to a new path. If you are searching for something magical, you should watch Charlie. Maara, an adaption of the former, is more realistic. Charlie leaves you with a newfound zeal, craving life and its beauty while Maara is calmer and pleasant, filling you with hope and happiness.
Tamasha - Our wild and carefree versions are those we save for weekends and vacations. So when Don meets Mona Darling, the dull and bored Ved in him is silent. In the island of Corsica, where its colourful vibe rubs off on the duo, they connect over their little quirks. But as they exit the place, so does Ved's carefree Don. His guards are up and ready to meet the grinding realities of daily life. But the charm is somewhere within, and the film sends him out on a journey of self-discovery and love.
Wake up Sid - Aisha is one among the numerous others who are blessed by Mumbai city's charm. An aspiring writer, she moves to Mumbai to find the right job. But when the organised, ambitious Aisha meets the unorganised, lazy Sid, their worlds begin to change.