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Bollywood Watch Bollywood | Bollywood Preview
By NITISH S. RELE - [email protected]
Meet Madan Bellam, a former engineer who founded Maaya Corporation, a software company in the Silicon Valley, and now is director-producer of an Indo-American thriller �Chains.� The California resident is gearing up to send the 108-minute movie starring Eric Roberts, Anusha Kuchibhotla, Jacob Narayan, Rashmi Rustogi and Ann Russell to film festivals after private screenings.
Shot in San Francisco, the film is about two friends, Meera and Susan, from different lands whose bonds transcend nationalities, until Susan mistakes Meera�s marriage as abusive. Bellam is quite open about the influence and inspiration behind the story, which he co-wrote.
�I wanted to show the subtleties of domestic abuse by weaving it into a story that will inform and entertain,� says the 40-year-old who spent $250,000 to make �Chains� in less than a year. �I was influenced by the wonderful integration of the Indian culture into Western culture in �Bend It Like Beckham� and have attempted to present a realistic and non-stereotypical point of view.�
Bellam is working on his next project, a film that will be shot in Telugu and Hindi in India. �The film�s roots are based on �The Godfather� by Coppola,� he reveals. �I will shoot it in Cuddapah village in Andhra Pradesh, where I was born.�
For more information on Bellam�s film, click on www.chainsthemovie.com
IN MEMORY OF A GREAT MUSIC DIRECTOR
By NITISH S. RELE - [email protected]
Kronos Quartet deserves a pat on the back. Make that two. After all,
how many string quartets would dedicate an album in honor of one of
Bollywood's favorite musical directors R.D. Burman?
The soon-to-be-released CD, "You�ve Stolen My Heart: Songs from R D
Burman�s Bollywood" is produced by the California-based group, which is
made up of David Harrington, John Sherba (violins), Hank Dutt (viola)
and Jennifer Culp (cello).
It�s the first time that Kronos Quartet, founded by Harrington about 32
years ago, has produced an album. It also is a first collaboration for
the group with a Bollywood personality - Asha Bhosle. Harrington
explains in detail how the CD came about: �I�ve known R D Burman�s
music for 15 years,� he says.
�My collection of Indian film soundtrack is probably the largest of any
kind that I have. As I listened to the collection, I began to realize
that quite a few were either composed or sung by Burman. And the female
singer was Asha Bhosle.�
�Since 2000, I began to go back to Burman�s music and finally it seemed
like the right time to make an album,� says Harrington. Soon, he got in
touch with Bhosle and within a few months, recording for the album was
completed.
�I wanted to use original recordings like in Western classical music,�
he says. �In the spirit of Burman�s musical polyglotism, Wu Man�s pipa
was substituted for the santoor and sarod. And because rhythmicality is
an essential ingredient in Burman�s music, we brought in Zakir
Hussain.�
v
Kronos itself augmented its acoustic sound with keyboards, percussion
etc.
Of the 12 tracks on the album, Bhosle has sung eight, including the
ever-popular Dum Maro dum (Hare Rama Hare Krishna), Chura Liya hai,
(Yaadon Ki Baraat), Piya Tu ab to aaja, (Caravan), Mera Kuchh Saaman,
(Ijaazat), and two Bengali songs.
�Asha Bhosle is not just a great singer but also a great musician. Her
voice is an instrument in itself,� says Harrington. Each member of
Kronos also has contributed a solo with the cello, violin and viola
"You�ve Stolen My Heart: Songs from R D Burman�s Bollywood," will be
released this month in the U.S. Harrington hopes that it will be
released in India some day also.
�Burman was an amazing creative composer and I feel inspired, better
and refreshed after wrapping up the album,� says Harrington.
�I hope an audience is out there that will become acquainted with the
genius of R D Burman and the unbelievable mastery of Asha Bhosle.�
Just into the first 10 minutes of �Raincoat� by Rituparno Ghosh, I knew I would be watching an emotional, engaging story. If you are looking for a mind-numbing masala flick, this one�s not it. But nevertheless, this film is certainly worth a look. �Raincoat� (2004): Directed by Rituparno Ghosh. Starring Ajay Devgan, Aishwarya Rai and Annu Kapoor. The closing titles of �Raincoat� credit the gifted short story writer and master of surprise endings O. Henry. Director Ghosh creates movie magic with this seemingly simple story inspired by the genre of this renowned American writer. The storyline revolves around an afternoon meeting between two childhood sweethearts who haven�t seen each other in years. Manoj (Ajay Devgan) is a young man out of a job and in dire need of money to start his business. He comes to Calcutta to gather funds from former college classmates and also find his now-married lost love Niru (Aishwarya Rai). Manoj stays with a former college roommate and his wife (Sameer Dharmadhikari and Mouli Ganguly � some of you may recognize Ganguly from recent Indian television serials). These supporting characters deftly set the stage as the story unfolds. Ganguly especially excels in her touching scenes with Manoj. On a rainy afternoon, wearing a borrowed raincoat, Manoj finds Niru�s house. Neither are as they once were. After hearing about Niru�s affluent marital bliss, Manoj lies about his reason for being in Calcutta and describes a non-existent successful career. But circumstances are not as they appear. As the afternoon continues, the truth comes clear for Manoj after the landlord played by Annu Kapoor enters the scene. Without giving too much away, let me say the verbal interactions between Manoj and Niru are the heart of the drama and this film truly unfolds as a clever play. Both lead actors are required to give layered performances, one for the camera and another for each other. Ajay Devgan doesn�t disappoint in this consummate portrayal of pain, frustration and love. Director Ghosh also succeeds in extracting a noteworthy performance from Aishwarya Rai. She plays her part of a bored housewife with perfect poise and her expressions are splendidly conveyed with conviction.
�Raincoat� gives the Hindi cinema audience a nowadays-rare opportunity to experience an original story supported by realistic performances and presented by a stylistic director who recognizes an intelligent audience. A final mention must be made on the musical score by Debojyoti Mishra. Be sure to check out the soundtrack to savor the vocals of Shubha Mudgal.
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