Its been a while since i have visited my blog pages with an intention to write something. I have been hard pressed for time and am short changed even now. but there is something that is growing on me so rapidly that perhaps writing about it is the only way i can get it out of my system and concentrate on tasks at hand. It something like taking a dump so that you can move on with the rest of your day. But rest assured what i am writing here is hardly distasteful. It is just that i have other things to I want to write about but this possibly is the only thing i can write about in 20 minutes and then get on with my life.
Anurag kashyap is a maverick genius. He is all that i like about indian cinema. Full of new ideas viz a viz sript writing, has great cinematic sense, is a visionary director, works with new faces and untested talent and brings out the best in them.
He made his start along with irfaan khan in a star plus serial called Darr. 'Darr' was a psychopathic thriller where irfaan khan played a serial killer by the name of 'desi jallad' who used to vent out his hatred for his wife on whores by brutally killing them. If my memory serves me, that was in the later half of 1990s that this serial was telecast on star. It was clearly ahead of its time and soon got relegated to 10 clock slot when all the traditional indian families had had their stomachs full and have other things to do than watch a killer kill whores and act on his sexual perversions. It soon faded away as star got its 'KK' ticket to famedon and high TRPs.
But that was a masterpiece no doubt. Pretty soon there after, he came out with 'Paanch' and 'Black Friday'. Paanch was never allowed to be released commercially. It was again a film ahead of its time. With charaters having names like pondi, murgi, luke, shuili and joy in circa 2000 when the urban india at best was a closet case as far as expressing sexuality and wanton desires went, a film like this was perhaps the biggest challenge to the fragile social fabric of that time and hence was never allowed to be seen by the masses. A casual look throug blogoshere tells me that the recently released 'Rock on' is a toned down version of Paanch by about a factor of 1000. The amount of impact paanch would have on indian cinema even if it is made to release now would be tremendous.
I am not saying this on a whim. Another timeless classic called 'Black Friday' by the same director which released recently after the verdict on 1993 bombay bomb blasts came out proves my point. It was a great hit which proved the visinory filmaking skills of anurag kashyap. Then came his 'No smoking' about which i will write another time. Right now i am really eager to talk about his take on 'Devdas' titled DEV D. Slated to be release on 19th december, this movie already looks to be a masterpiece in the making.
Devdas is an idealist, someone like howard roark. Somone who is good in concept but difficult to realize. He loves paro, his childhood sweetheart but the circumstances prevent him from marrying her. He turns alchoholic after losing both the love of his life and his family and permanently gets into a platonic relationship with a whore named chandramukhi and makes her brothel his permanent quarters. He eventually dies alone, devoid of love and away from his family due to alchohol abuse.
Now this is hardly something you make a movie about in my opinion. The guy is basically a loser who for the lack of some 'quality' action falls hook line and sinker for this one chick and basically wastes away his life wanting her and only her. common dude get some life!! anyhow three movies have already been made on this topic and basically they are sugar coated distortions of this concept which would give a 21 year old chronic diabeties.
Enter anurag kashyap and you get Dev D out of Devdas. Dev D looks to a pot smoking pill popping guy whose single point agenda in life is to get some 'action'. Love for him is not singing songs or getting drunk on cheap country liquor. He looks like a guy who would pop a pill and 'F***'. Now i dont have the slightest idea how the whole script is going to unfold but from the looks of it its gonna be a ball. Kashyap has casted a by the book pristine panju beauty for the role of paro who in this movie is not a virgin(in the original devdas paro being a virign throughout the novel was a very big deal. She was 'saving' herself for her devdas. what crap!! i doubt if anyone even talks like this anymore) Chandramukhi is renamed chanda in this movie and she redfines slut. I have always maintained that chameli in my books was a big flop simply because kareena kapooor cannot look like a slut no matter how hard she tries. Kalika playing the role of chanda looks like someone who means business and that would mean pure unadulterated entertainment when this movie comes out
The only face recognizible in this movie is abhay deol which grapevine suggests came up with the concept of this. For once i believe the rumors appear to be true. abhay deol seems to be in his element as a pill pooping hyppocrite whose one point agenda is to get some action with his sweetheart 'paro'. He looks to be at ease in his character and diplays an array of emotions from' tharki', to high to angered to simply bored with panche even in the two minute traler of the movie recent released.
The music of DEV D is by amit trivedi, the guy who gave us the haunting track of Aamir and if 'emotional atyachaar' is anything to go this, he will surpaas his work in Aamir
To close my praise of this movie to be released, I wish to see more of anurag kashyap and less of rajshri productions or the like in this future. People like anurag kashyap hold promise for the future of indian cinema for they bring with them fresh talent, freash ideas, fresh script and fresh music. They are the ones who make bollywood bollywood and not some'RAJ' recycle bin with trains in the closing and opening sequences.
