Thoughts on Barfi!

         A cousin of mine tells this joke every time we talk about Bollywood- 

Q- What do you call a Bollywood movie that is completely original and has not been copied from any other film?

A- A flop.

          I know that it is a very cynical attitude towards an industry that is primarily responsible for my love for movies in general, and I do like to give it the benefit of the doubt that I barely watch Bollywood movies anymore and hence miss out on quite a few good ones. However, it is also hard to deny that the majority of the "big Bollywood blockbusters" nowadays are either copied from crowd-friendly Hollywood action or comedy movies, or as the latest trend goes, from bombastic, nonsensical and occasionally fun South-Indian movies. Now I am not judging either of these types of movies. They are both made for a specific audience and they deliver suitably. My bone to pick is solely with Bollywood, and this copycat attitude.

           To be fair, Bollywood has been copying, or as we like to call it, "being inspired by" other movies for a very long time, and with all sorts of results. But a recent discussion in my film studies has piqued my interest in this issue. The topic was about how as an industry, or even a country, we don't seem to have a distinctive identity when it comes to our movies, except that they are colourful and have musical numbers. Big whoop. It is kind of sad considering that we are the land of geniuses like Satyajit Ray and Raj Kapoor. Admittedly I am not that well-versed in their work, not at all in Ray's case (yes, I do hate myself), but the fact is that we are capable of such films and the current state of mainstream Bollywood is a bit tragic. 

           Now all this brings me to Anurag Basu's Barfi! First and foremost I have to say that I enjoyed it thoroughly and I do think that it is a very good movie. But its "inspirations" are so in-your-face. Anyone who is a film buff can easily pick out which films the various elements of Barfi! were taken from. Slapstick gods like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton are obvious influences, the look and style is clearly reminiscent of Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Amélie, there are a couple of scenes lifted from Donald O' Connor's incredible "Make 'Em Laugh" from Singin' in the Rain, and there is also traces of The Double Life of Veronique and Benny and Joon. Due to all this, Basu has been getting a lot of heat on plagiarism allegations, especially since it was announced that Barfi! is India's entry to the Best Foreign Film category at the 85th Oscars.

         Here is my question- what is the difference between an homage and a copy? Because I would say that I was thrilled to a lesser degree than others around me who have not seen the many films that Barfi! borrowed from. Basu, when trying to defend his film, gave examples of film makers like Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese who do emulate other films and film makers into their own final products. Tarantino was actually the very person I kept coming back to while discussing Barfi! with a friend right after we had seen it. My main argument was that maybe the reason why I love his movies so much is because I have never watched any of the films that he uses as inspiration. Except one- Bande à part, which is where things got even more complicated in my head, because it is a known fact that the dance in it was a major influence on the Mia-Vincent's Jack Rabbit Slims dance. But apart from both being incredibly awesome and a bit random, they are actually very different dances. So if this indeed is how Tarantino makes all of his films, then they can never be called copies of anything. But Barfi! did in fact imitate scenes, although in different contexts and I really don't know what to make of it.

          Also I have to give credit where credit is deserved, even if we are talking about something as controversial as possible plagiarism. The thing is that yes, Barfi! has "been inspired" by many other films and isn't a completely original work, but once again look at the people and films Basu chose! There is actually a split second where there is a cut-out of Chaplin on the screen in between this very Chaplin-esque chase between the protagonist, Barfii and silly policemen. Therefore instead of yet another film with terrible one-liners and actors with their shirts being ripped off on their own accord and god knows what, here we have a film that celebrates these wonderful movies and people and does a more than decent job of using elements from them in its narrative.

          Obviously Barfi! is much more than just this amalgam. The acting is superb. Ranbir Kapoor is pretty much the actor of his generation at present, and note how I say actor and not star, because the man knows how to act. He is splendid as the titular character, a happy-go-lucky, deaf and dumb, simple man who loves life and lives it to the fullest. Also the two actresses, Priyanka Chopra and Ileana D'Cruz, are both revelations. Chopra plays an autistic girl with a great deal of honesty and sincerity, something I really did not expect from her. D'Cruz, a newcomer in Bollywood, is just so beautiful and acts like a veteran in her field, so natural and understated. A perfect trio for such a film. Also I love that the film was set in Calcutta, aka my hometown, and Darjeeling, and that too in the 70s! There is such a dearth of period films in Bollywood. And I really adored the setting. Very few Bollywood films are set here anymore, and Barfi! looked gorgeous. The music is rather lovely too.

         I am happy that such a happy film has been chosen as India's entry to the Oscars (there have been some dreadful ones in the past) and also that people are liking it so much. Of course many argue about how it is "completely unique" and I reflexively roll my eyes... Also when they say/post that it has been nominated for an Oscar, my blood boils just a little bit. But keeping my crazy cinephile tendencies aside, I am actually pretty convinced that it will not be nominated, seeing how tough the competition is this year with films like Amour, and because of well, all the reasons/rambles I have stated above. 

        I would like to end this post by asking repeating my earlier question and posing a new one-

What is the difference between an homage and a copy?

And if you have seen Barfi!- what did you think of it and its Oscar chances?

       In case your answer to the latter question is 'no', I highly recommend it. 

       Thank you for reading :)

Mini Reviews- Bol Bachchan, Ferrari Ki Sawaari, Kahaani

         It was quite recently that I realised how terrible my Bollywood knowledge has become, or rather how terrible it has been all along, since my entire Bollywood world is more or less restricted to the 90s and the early 2000s. Basically till the part I got into what my dad calls my "English movie snob phase". So I have decided to start taking interest in them again, starting with this mini review phase whose theme is, you guessed it, Bollywood.

BOL BACHCHAN (Dir: Rohit Shetty, 2012)

Basic Plot- Hot-headed Abbas Ali has to move to the village of Ranakpur with his sister Sania when he runs into a bit of a trouble back home. However, after rescuing a child from drowning in an ancestral Hindu temple, he finds himself in a pickle again, having to lie about his religion and name to save his skin. That too to the simple yet very strong and powerful Prithviraj Raghivanshi, who has no tolerance for liars and who then employs Ali due to his heroics. Soon the "newly baptised" Abhishek Bachchan realises that despite his best intentions, he needs to continue spinning his web of lies if he wants his protect himself from the wrath of his employer.

       Phew! Writing a Bollywood movie synopsis is no easy task, but I have done my best. Bol Bachchan is, simply put, the kind of movie that makes me worry about Bollywood. It is beyond ridiculous. It is a "masala" movie, a term used to denote films that have a lot a comedic and action scenes, typical romances and an endless crusade of songs, but it is also completely brainless. It employs many of the cliched Bollywood motifs like a village setting, a benevolent but strict overseer, a stranger who comes into the village and then everything starts revolving around him, the oh so hilarious homophobia etc. and really has nothing new to offer. Yes it is based on the Bollywood comedy classic Golmaal (which is brilliant and a total riot and ought to be watched by everyone), where Abbas has to pretend to be his own twin brother to ward off Prithviraj's suspicions, the illusion made possible with a fake mustache that he wears when he is masquerading as Abhishek. However this just clearly goes to show that like many Hollywood movies, even Bollywood remakes are often terrible.

          Abhishek Bachchan plays Abbas Ali and, you guessed it, Abhishek Bachchan (so funny I forgot to laugh!) and Ajay Devgn plays Prithviraj. Now I've never been a fan of Bachchan and continue to be thus. I actually think that Devgn is a pretty fantastic actor when he wants to be. Unfortunately, most of the time he comes in crap like this. The bulk of the film's so-called humour is dependent on his character's insistence on saying famous idioms in his broken English. Though admittedly I laughed in some of them, I don't know how it will translate to non-Hindi speaking audiences. It should just be nonsense, yes? Even more than usual. My other big problem with the film was Shetty's supremely annoying way of filming action scenes- everyone bloody falls in slow motion. Like flying in the air and falling with full impact, or flying in the air and kicking with full impact- basically a lot of flying, in bloody slo mo. Stop flying already!! The actresses, Asin and Prachi Desai are good-for-nothing. I especially found the Sania and Prithviraj love-story disturbing because it was so Vertigo-esque, but no one seemed to mind. Also supporting actors like Archana Puran Singh and Krishna Abhishek made the film even more idiotic. The one good thing I will say though was that the colours in the film were very bright and vibrant. I really liked them.

Rating- 2/10

FERRARI KI SAWAARI (Dir: Rajesh Mapuskar, 2012)

Basic Plot- Rusy is a loving middle-class father and son. His son Kayo is a budding cricketer and Rusy wants to fulfill all of Kayo's dreams. When Kayo gets a chance to go for training in Lords, London, Rusy tries desperately to get the necessary finance, but fails. His ultimate option comes in the form of a Ferrari, that too Sachin Tendulkar's Ferrari, that is needed for the wedding of a politician's son. Due to various circumstances Rusy ends up with the Ferrari, which he has to return, keeping it and his conscience intact. Also, he has to help his bitter and shut-in father Deboo, to open his heart to two things that mattered to him the most- his family and cricket.

            My brother and I saw Ferrari Ki Sawaari with our grandfather, which was his first film in a movie theatre in about twenty-five years. And what a lovely little movie to (hopefully) end this hiatus with! For me, the heart and soul of this film is Sharman Joshi, who plays Rusy. In spite of being in the business for thirteen years, this is Joshi's first lead role. His innocent smile, one that he has throughout most of the film, has this strange power to make one happy and sad simultaneously. It is so representative of his character- a content middle-class man with dreams, someone who is so common in a place like India, but still so rare because very few have the determination to pursue their dreams, or even more extraordinarily, someone else's dreams. I connected with his struggles because it reminded me of my own life so much, as it would with the majority of the people who do watch it. Another thing that the general Indian audiences will relate to is the love for cricket. As much as I personally hate the sport, I cannot deny the significant impact it has on the people of this country- it has the ability to bring them together better than any other singular thing in the world. 

           The Ferrari, that actually does belong to star cricketer Tendulkar, is a symbol for both these things- it is the unattainable dream and something to worship due to the cricket connections. It is as much a character in this film as any other. The other two notable actors are Boman Irani, who plays Deboo and Ritwik Sahore, who plays Kayo. Irani is a masterful actor with an incredible range, and films especially under the Vidhoo Vinod Chopra banner, like Ferrari Ki Sawaari, tap into that. Deboo goes from being this irritable and unlikable person to someone who has a lot of love, but has suffered so much in his life that he very seldom shows it. His backstory and then the changes in his character are excellent. Sahore is an adorable young actor and makes one root for him. 

       There are a few other players in the story- the politician and his unhappy son, Tendulkar's neglectful servant and gatekeeper, the wedding planner and Deboo's old rival, that play crucial roles in the life of Rusy and his family. The film is funny, light and touching. I loved the simplicity that ran through nearly the entire film. The final act does drag quite a bit though, and the climax and ending are a tad too weepy for their own good. But the overall warmth felt throughout most of the film, with the effortless and funny dialogue, and just the acting of the protagonists make it a rewarding experience. It looks pretty good too, capturing a common man's Mumbai and the spirit thereof. The Marathi-style item number with hotter than the friggin' Ferrari, Vidya Balan, is a treat as well.

Rating- 9/10

KAHAANI (Dir: Sujoy Ghosh, 2012)

Basic Plot- Expecting mother, Vidya Bagchi comes to Kolkata from London searching for her missing husband, Arnab Bagchi. A sincere police officer, Satyaki, helps her on her search, but it seems to them that no one even knows of his existence. However the fact that he resembled the chief suspect in a terrorist attack starts to shed some light onto his disappearance, but only Vidya's insistence and sacrifice can brings her the answers that she needs.

              Vidya Balan has officially, and thankfully, become the face of good acting in Bollywood. After her incredibly sultry and applauded performance as a sex-symbol in The Dirty Picture, she brings a different kind of energy into this story of this wife and mother-to-be on a quest. Bagchi's struggles to keep her crumbling world together, while also striving for the truth, especially in a state like hers, is so novel and inspiring. Balan's performance in the climax is specifically exceptional. The other characters in the film are strictly supporting in their role since it is her story, and her story alone. My favourites were the earnest Satyaki, played by Parambrata Chatterjee and the very creepy, yet funny, Bob Biswas, played by Saswata Chatterjee. Of course the city of Kolkata, aka MY CITY, is quite the character too. The director, Sujoy Ghosh, used Satyajit Ray's Calcutta trilogy as an inspiration. There are very few Bollywood movies made in Kolkata anymore, and one set during the rich festival of Durga Puja is particularly rare. I loved seeing streets and places I knew so well, along with the culture, depicted on the screen. This is Balan's second movie set in the City of Joy, the first being her Bollywood debut Parineeta, which is another film whose depiction of the city, this time set in the 60s, I love dearly.

            The film is a stellar thriller. Okay the final reveal might be a bit unoriginal for many of us more "experienced" cinephiles, but the build-up to it keeps one at the edge of their seats. Ghosh used guerrilla film making to avoid attention, which gives it an interesting look and feel. Bagchi, with her pregnancy, is a great feminist character, which is very progressive of the Ghosh. The religious symbolism, her relationship with Satyaki and many other things make this movie very unique, especially for a Bollywood movie, where sadly films like Bol Bachchan are the norm. Still, I am thankful for a movie like Kahaani and how much it has been accepted by the Indian public. Watch it for Balan's performance that continues to reach new heights, and the essence of Kolkata that the film captures so well.

Rating- 9/10