Ritwik Ghatak, despite being one of the greatest and most iconoclastic filmmakers India has ever produced, never received due recognition for his genius during his lifetime. The fact that he was asocial in nature, an alcohol addict and a hardline communist, ensured that he died a deeply misunderstood man. Ajantrik, made 6 years after his debut movie Nagarik (often considered India’s first neorealist and arthouse film, preceding Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali by 3 years), and one of only 8 completed feature films made by him, bears ample testimony to his exceptional talents. One of the earliest movies to have an inanimate object as one of the protagonists, Ajantrik is the tale of the unique and profound attachment that Bimal, a poor Bengali taxi-driver, shares with his rickety (and hilariously anachronistic) 1920 Chevrolet jalopy which he affectionately calls Jagaddal. Kali Bannerjee gave an incredibly layered, tour-de-force performance as Bimal, a hotheaded, friendless and forever misunderstood loner (ironically, a touch of the director himself perhaps?), whose only companion is the dilapidated Jagaddal. His emotional journey, from pride through anger and devastation to peace, must be seen in order to be truly appreciated. The tragi-comic movie, which is filled with a plethora of cinematic techniques and generic conventions as also strong social commentary, might easily have been a reference point for Ray’s Abhijan, which in turn seemed to have at some level influenced Scorsese’s Taxi Driver, as noted by me sometime back in this article on Ray.
Director: Ritwik Ghatak
Genre: Drama/Social Drama/Slice of Life
Language: Bengali
Country: India
Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard remain two of the most iconic as also iconoclastic filmmakers the world has seen – they were as much trendsetters as they were path-breakers. The two former celebrated film critics at Cashiers du Cinema were at the forefront of the legendary Nouvelle Vague movement; their debut features, The 400 Blows and Breathless, respectively, remain cornerstones in world cinema. Yet, their decades of endearing friendship and frequent collaborations notwithstanding, they were also two very different persons with contrasting backgrounds, opinions and personalities, and these facets, along with a host of others, played significant roles as, over time, rifts started developing between the two – so much so that by the later halves of their careers, they were as antagonistic towards each other as one can be. This interesting documentary, filmed with the same of kind of freewheeling spirit and charm as the early films of Truffaut and Godard, and filled with footages and anecdotes worth preserving, has done a marvelous job at documenting the evolution of these two fascinating auteurs and their complex love/hate relationship. To top it all, it also introduced a third angle in the form of the renowned French actor Jean-Pierre Laeaud who was literally torn apart because of this feud as he worked regularly with both right from his teenage days. And this unique dimension added layers of profound eloquence to the tale of tumultuous friendship between the two giants of world cinema.
Director: Emmanuel Laurent
Genre: Documentary/Biography/Movie History
Language: French
Country: France
Matthew Vaughn’s deliberately cartoonish Kick-Ass, adapted from a graphic novel of the same name by Mark Miller, could very well be qualified as a well-made revisionist super-hero movie for having successfully deconstructed the various tropes and icons associated with this particular genre. But, more importantly than that, it is also an exceedingly funny and immensely entertaining movie despite, or perhaps because of, the seamless concoction of outrageous violence and political incorrectness with hilarious black comedy. A geeky and socially aloof guy, who happens to be crazy about superhero comics, decides to don a suit and call himself “Kick Ass” in order to fight petty crimes, even though he is severely deficient in terms of superhero skills; meanwhile a father-daughter duo, both having mastered the art of kicking ass, too don suits in order to get even with a powerful mobster. The movie is as much about their travails and triumphs as masked vigilantes, as it is about delving into the psyche of our popular culture that makes us crave for the Superman’s and the Spiderman’s instead of real-life heroes. The film’s most noteworthy aspect is that it has maintained a fun, breezy and freewheeling spirit throughout its length – as if the very idea of a superhero is ludicrous. The acting is good throughout as are the various character dynamics explored. But what really stands out from the rest is the incredibly funny and endearingly quirky chemistry shared between Nicholas Cage and Chloe Moretz as the father-daughter duo who can seriously kick some ass.
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Genre: Comedy/Black Comedy/Action
Language: English
Country: US/UK
David Cronenberg’s The Fly wasn’t just a triumphant remake but also in many ways a reinterpretation of the 1958 original, and it remains an important work in the genre of ‘body horror’. Visceral, disturbing, grotesque and unapologetically provocative, even to this day the movie retains the ability to amaze and shock its viewers with equal ease and élan, as also make them conjecture and debate because of the various philosophical ramifications of the subject matter. Jeff Goldblum, in arguably the most fascinating role of his career, played Seth Brundle, a mild-mannered loner and a brilliant scientist who has secretly developed a machine that can teleport matter. When he finally discovers the means of successfully teleporting living beings too, he decides to have himself as a live guinea pig; it goes without saying, the results of his self-experimentation are not in any way pleasant. Goldblum did a brilliant job in effortlessly portraying Seth’s complex physical and psychological metamorphosis, and his descent into madness and chaos. Though Geena Davis’ acting can’t really be classified as great, she shared an interesting chemistry with Goldblum, with her character forming a vital hinge around which the story develops. Cronenberg did a terrific job in creating not just paranoia and unease, but also a sense of deep and all-pervading claustrophobia what with most of the action taking place in the confined interiors of Seth’s lab-cum-residence. He also made excellent use of special effects to accentuate the graphic and visual nature of the plot.
Director: David Cronenberg
Genre: Horror/Psychological Horror/Sci-Fi
Language: English
Country: US
Atanu Ghosh garnered considerable attention for his debut feature Angshumaner Chhobi, and so it was natural for cinegoers to have high expectations from his sophomore effort; suffice it to say, he didn’t disappoint. Takhan Teish deals with a challenging subject, and comprises of such heavy themes of memory, loneliness, and urban relationships, among others. Jishu Sengupta, who has turned into an excellent actor over the years, has exquisitely played the role of the protagonist – a shy, introverted guy and a brilliant doctor, whose complex relationship with four women culminates during his 23rd birthday. The four women in question are – his gorgeous former biology teacher who is his ‘goddess’ and his confidante (Indrani Haldar); a dusky, seductive actress of sleazy movies he has become obsessed with (Paoli Dam); a cheerful young lady he has befriended over the social media; and his over-protective mother with whom he shares a strained relation. The film boasts of a sensitive palette and a moody atmosphere, and the blurring of the real-fantasy divide made it quite compelling. However, the film also felt a tad disjointed at times. Ghosh should have concentrated solely on his central protagonist, instead of digressing to a couple of parallel strands that did not seem entirely relevant. That said, this is a reasonably competent and a finely enacted movie that is certainly worth a watch.
Director: Atanu Ghosh
Genre: Drama/Psychological Drama/Urban Drama
Language: Bengali
Country: India
