Writer tributes...

All the songs that Guru Dutt, the great experimentalist in the history of Indian cinema, shot in his films narrate his biography. His biggest creative support and the most trusted writer of his films, Abrar Alvi narrates the story of Guru Dutt in the book 'Ten Years with Guru Dutt: Abrar Alvi's Journey'.

The book contains a conscious account of Abrar's experience with Guru Dutt, the introducer of cinemascope in India. He recalls about guru Dutt that the man carried an extraordinary sense to catch a talent and overwhelm it to the extravagant level of his trust. And the history has witnessed the result of this trust in the form of Aar Paar, Mr. and Mrs. 55, Pyaasa, Kagaz ke Phool, Chaudahvin ka Chand and Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam.

Abrar considers his ten years of association with this cinema stalwart as the most creative years of his life. He explains the nature of guru Dutt and his uncompromising endeavours, which of course did not pay him at the very instance but placed him to the unforgotable height in world of cinema. Abrar makes an effort to break all the popular tales of Guru Dutt's romance and tries to bing the notice of the reader to his plain, naive and creative thought process.

The book has been compiled by Sathya Saran, the editor of the DNA supplement Me.

On Darshan do Ghanshyam…

I doubt whether Danny Boyle could have ever known about Surdas before Slumdog Millionaire, which (the film) I think is his perception of India. Plurality which is an essence of the Indian culture and society has undergone severe blows in the past that has enriched the western perception that flows from the film.

Now coming to the film's particular song Darshan do Ghanshyam, the filmmaker has opted for the song in order to strengthen his script and the character of Jamal who is pushed into begging after he is orphaned in an ethnic mishap, which could have taken place around the time of Babri Masjid demolition, as suggested through the reference of the time period in the film, where Jamal, a Muslim kid comes to know about Ram when he sees the symbol of a bow and arrow (indicating towards the Hindu right wing aggression).

Similarly a bhajan as Darshan do Ghanshyam is being identified with the trade of begging, in the film, which is an integral part of an amputee who begs on streets, trains or buses around us. The two things which have been marked in the film show our position. It shows that how ignorant we are regarding our own things.

It does not matter whether the lyrics have been created by Gopal Singh Nepali or Surdas. The most important thing is that none of us thought about the creator of Darshan do Ghanshyam. We accepted Surdas, as shown in the film, as the creator of this bhajan. Many of us could have studied Hindi as far as University level. In spite of this nobody could notice the mistake until the son of the noted Hindi poet Gopal Singh Nepali, raised the issue.

Indian cinema, a new face

Recently Academy award was declared and was awaited impatiently by the world audience. This academy award was of more important to the Indian audience. Reason was Water, the only nomination from an Indian film maker. No matter the film was produced in Canada due to certain unprogressive reasons, but participation from the part of an Indian filmmaker suggests a completely different story. This nomination indicates towards the urge of progressive film making in India without any aesthetic dispute.

In recent few years participation by Indian films in academy award has increased. Film makers have started overcoming the cliché of “audience preference”. Can this be viewed as a progressive step by Indian film industry? Let us check every possible attitude of Indian film industry.

The charisma of Oscar has been affecting the world cinema, since long. Indian cinema can not remain untouched, in this respect. In fact with Mehoob Khan and Satyajit Ray, the ambitious journey towards Oscar began. Later it became a parameter of quality evaluation of film making.

The new millennium has come up with a new hope for the Indian cinema. Young and vibrant film makers like Asutosh Gowariker seem to be highly promising. With this generation of film makers, Indian film industry displays a new confidence in film trade. At the beginning of the millennium itself, Gowariker’s Lagaan, successfully landed to the Oscar. No matter, it did not succeed in convincing critics, but energized Indian film makers with confidence to build stories which are different from the Bollywood cliché.

Recent films display a fresh approach towards film making, in Indian context. These films including Lagaan and Rang de Basanti did not gather critical acclaim, but were worthy enough to e noticed. After all this generation of film makers are trying to come out of the passive phase of Indian cinema when atrocious creations were made in the name of “Audience ki Pasand.” At least these films have provoking elements which break the above cliché.

Of course Water remains outstanding in this chronology. Water was the real competitor in the previous academy awards, in its category. Had Water released from the country itself, pride of the Indian film industry could have surely gone high. This aspect of expression through a creative medium and its acceptance becomes another issue with a particular socio-cultural system. It was all due to the Hindu right wing aggression that this film failed to be completed on Indian soil, and the Indian selectors remained deprived of the opportunity of sending a film like Water to the Oscar.

Despite, all these examples are laden with good techniques and bold narratives. This is appositive development in the Indian film making. This is for the first time in the history of Indian film industry that three films were sent to the Oscar in one decade except Water, since it got entry from Canada.

At the end of the day “success counts the sweetest”. This proverb stands firmly with the success of these films. In fact the domestic audience has learnt to appreciate a well woven story. Altogether this could be interpreted as a positive development in Indian film making.

passive viewers and cinema

Cinema has become the most important part of entertainment. It fascinates the young and the old through moving scenes and figures, which resemble living scenes. The effect of cinema on viewers depends on how shots are interpreted by them. Further, magic of cinema is created not only by a film maker but also by the viewer. This collaboration of film makers and viewers has resulted in the decline of the quality of the film making in India. Film makers produce illogical and atrocious films in the name of entertainment and claim that viewers like such movies, and that is why such films are produced. They are not wrong. Viewers' approval and acceptance is there in the success of such atrocious films. Such film makers are encouraged by the passive behaviour of audience.