Banter, Bollywood and Beyond

The Stranger (Agantuk) by Satyajit Ray is our first Bengali film on the podcast. Despite it being Ray's final film, it is a wonderful film on its own merits, as the great Utpal Dutt plays the charming visitor who, for reasons unknown, returns to a Bengali urban elite (or Bhadralok) family which may or may not be his own. 

With amazing dialogue, camerawork and performances, the film casts a humane and complex gaze on how the bhadralok respond to the ever-changing world outside Calcutta. 

You can have it from us in writing, this is Raees! 

Smytta chooses full-on modern Bollywood (2017), firstly because she just feels like it, and secondly because this literally and figuratively meaty movie has plenty to get stuck into: Muslim and Gujarati identity, Shah Rukh Khan's particular brand of Gandhian secular politics and meaty filmmaking, and what makes a film Indian or non-Indian. 

So grab yourself a (legal) beer and dive in!

Back to Bollywood banger territory! For those of us in lockdown, Chhoti Si Baat (1976) is wanderlust and nostalgia catnip. Mumbai-native Smytta enjoys reminiscing over the Mumbai landmarks with Alex. Samovar café! Gaylord's! Eros Cinema! Another café with view of the Gateway of India! Ahhh...

This film is a light, fluffy comedy about Arun (Amol Palekar), a shy worker bee who fantasises, in charming Amélie style, about telling the beautiful (Vidya) about his love for her, but being able to do so, he reaches for help. 

We also address the dodgy "stalker-with-a-crush" aspect of the film, which...hasn't aged well. 

Either way, this is a charming comedy well worth a watch for the Mumbai nostalgia, the charm of its leads and the laughs. Get yourself a nice coffee, sit down in the sun by a picture of Mumbai and enjoy!

Sorry we haven't gone back to Bollywood just yet! Smytta needed some young energy, so she chose A Death in the Gunj, the remarkable 2016 debut of Konkona Sen Sharma, daughter of the legendary Aparna Sen. Set in 1979, the story centres around Shutu (Vikrant Massey), who tries to recover from a few setbacks in his personal life through a vacation with his cousin Nandu (Gulshan Devaiah) and Nandu's friends and family at an Anglo-Indian house away from the city. However, things don't exactly go as planned...

Just like Monsoon Wedding, The Luncbox and The Lift Boy, this is a subtle and ultimately devastating character drama which demands but rewards close attention. Alex enjoys the scenery,  Om Puri, and the assured direction. Whilst initially disappointed by the lack of song-and-dance, Smytta admires the character direction and unpacks the nuanced social relations, especially between Shutu and the other male characters. 

Intrigued? Then jump on your motorbike and join us in the foothills as we discuss A Death in the Gunj!

We're back! Sorry for the slight delay, but we were busy over the holidays. 

Our first episode back isn't a Bollywood banger (coming soon, promise), but the beautiful Naseem, made in 1995 by Saeed Ahktar Mirza. This is the story of a young muslim girl growing up in Mumbai, whilst elsewhere, in the months leading up to the demolition of the Babri Masjid mosque in Ayodhya.  

However, this film transcends its loaded context to become a beautifully observed story of innocence lost, as social relations around Naseem gradually become more fraught whilst her grandfather regales her with stories of simpler, pre-independence times. 

There's a lot to get stuck into in this episode- the context of the event itself, the role of the grandfather (wonderfully played by lyricist Kaifa Azmi), national and religious identity, and the experience of growing up around Mumbai at the time the movie was set (which Smytta did). If all that sounds like a heady feast, dive in!

Happy New Year!

How much can superstars and amazing music elevate a film? In the case of 1972's Amar Prem (translation: Immortal Love), the answer is "all the way to a classic." Superstars Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore, alongside Vinod Mehra, Om Prakash and a clutch of Bollywood bangers, alchemically transform what is, on paper, a typical prostitute-with-a-heart-of-gold story into something genuinely funny, charming and touching. 

In this episode, as well as the tunes and the icons, we delve into a wider discussion of the Kishore Kumar/Rajesh Khanna combo, RJ's incredible charisma and the importance of relationships in a big city. Pop your headphones on and join us in a singalong: "Yeh Kya Hua..."

For our last episode of the year- look! It's a Hindi film released in 1975 and starring Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra! Sadly, it's not Sholay, but rather Chupke Chupke (or Hush Hush in English), a time-capsuletastic comedy of manners which also stars Sharmila Tagore and Amitabh's actual wife Jaya Bachchan. 

In this episode, we get stuck into why Sharmila Tagore is the original Elaine Benes, enjoy Om Prakesh getting bemused in as many ways as possible, and discuss the secret significance of whose name comes first in the credits. 

Warning: The sound of snacks is quite loud on this one. Apologies. We'll deal with it for the next episode. 

After two forays into parallel cinema, we're back to Bollywood baby!

This episode, we dive into Saaheb, a 1985 drama starring Anil Kapoor as a goalkeeper with Elvis hair and a permanent Tom Baker scarf. The film starts funny, goes romantic, has a spot of dishum-dishum, some sport, some marriage drama and ends with a kidney donation, all the while mixing in some stonking disco-funk dance numbers. If that sounds confusing- well, it is, but it's fun too.

In this episode, we cover the hallmarks of Anil Kapoor films, what dowries are, and a discussion of Bappi Lahiri, whose amazing original music drives the film. If that sounds like your bag, put on your goalie gloves and dive in! 

On October 3rd, 1978, a child called "Durga" was born. This wouldn't have been unusual except for one small fact: she was the first Indian child, and the second child in the world, to be born via IVF, or In Vitro Fertilisation, thanks to the amazing work of one Dr. Subhash Mukhopadhyay. However, fewer than three years later, this pioneering doctor had committed suicide. 

Ek Doctor Ki Maut, a 1990 film by Tapan Sinha and featuring  Prankaj Kapoor, Shabana Azmi and a (very young) Irrfan Khan, switches the focus from IVF to a leprosy vaccine, but keeps many of details of Dr. Mukhopadhyay's life otherwise intact, including a bitter struggle against bureaucracy very similar to Akira Kurosawa's Ikiru. Whilst that might sound like a slog, the wonderfully observant script, magnificent leads and engrossing story make for something very special and almost unique in Indian cinema. 

In this episode, we don't simply dig into the film itself, but also the story of Dr. Mukhopadhyay's life, and Smytta's experience of studying Science in India. It does get a bit heated, but this is a very emotive subject, and we're both cool now, honestly. 

If you're on the lookout for your next Parallel Cinema gem, come and have a listen!

Episode picture: Wikicommons picture of a stamp depicting Tapan Sinha, the film's director. 

Next episode: Saaheb (yup, Bollywood time again). 

Surprise!

After our interview last episode, we return within a week's notice with Mandi, Shyam Benegal's 1983 surprisingly funny and touching story about brothel life and its political entanglements in Hyderabad. 

Look at the names on this film! Naseeruddin Shah! Smita Patil! Shabana Azmi! Om Puri! Saeed Jaffrey! This film is so bright it should be its own constellation. 

This wonderfully anthropological film poses many questions. What is the exact extent of the relations between brothel life and political life in India? How do the people in brothels actually live? And can we ever get enough Naseeruddin Shah?

So, come on in, have a look and a dance, and if you like what you see, have a listen!

Next episode: Ek Doctor Ki Maut

Image Source: By Satyen K. Bordoloi - Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12201939