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Hachete’s The Bollywood Pocket Book Series, A 4-in-1 Set, by Diptakirti Chauduri: Get set

Hachete’s The Bollywood Pocket Book Series, A 4-in-1 Set, by Diptakirti Chauduri: Get set

Yes, it’s a pun. I mean you should get the set, buy the book, or rather, books. They look deceptively thin when ensconced in the hardcover box, but provide a substantial reading once you pull them out. Book one is about Iconic Dates, with Raj Kapoor and Nargis on the cover, under an umbrella. The author reminds us about the calendar of events that begin with Raja Harishchandra’s release and ended with Gulabo Sitabo. Between the two dates, the span is a good 154 pages. Yes, the pages are smaller than the pocket book size, but not by much. As you go through, you discover that Master Vithal, the hero of India’s first talkie film, Alam Ara, was contracted to another studio when producer-director Ardeshir Irani approached him to play the lead. It took the legal acumen of no less a barrister than Mohammed Ali Jinnah to free Vithal from the contract.

Come 1952, and Binaca Geetmala (BGM) was born, as the book announces on page 30. But he gets Ameen Sayani’s signature phrase wrong. Chaudhuri remembers it as ‘Bhaiyo aur Beheno’, whereas in reality, it has always been “Behno aur Bhaiyo.” Again, the Listeners’ Clubs were called ‘Shrota Sanghs’, not ‘Shrota Sanghatans’. All India Radio started Vividh Bharati in 1967, “and Binaca moved there” is incorrect. BGM came on Vividh Bharati some two decades later. In the meanwhile, it continued on Radio Ceylon. Singers who featured in BGM are listed, and, amazingly, the list does not include Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Mukesh, Manna De, Hemant Kumar, Asha Bhosle or Geeta Dutt. One cannot imagine Binaca Geetmala without these titans. On to a quote, from Sharmila Tagore, on doing the swimsuit scenes in An Evening in Paris. Asked the beaten to death question, “How did you feel doing that scene?” she replied calmly, “Oh! Like a pioneer.” The date: 19 August 1966. The medium? The cover of Filmfare magazine. The picture? La Tagore in a bikini.

Dates move on to Places. Chaudhuri lists 50 places, and it is mix of the predictable and the personal. He begins with Watson’s Hotel and ends with Dharavi, as portrayed in the 2019 film, Gully Boy, all in a matter of 154 pages. Yes, that number again. It is good to see the inclusion of Prabhat Studios, which is now the Film and Television Institute of India. Did you know that Matunga’s R.P. Masani Lane was known as Hollywood Lane, due to its celebrity residents, in the 1940s. No, you could not have possibly guessed this one: Jhumri Talaiya, in present-day Jharkhand, once part of the undivided Bihar state. That is where most of the requests for film songs came to radio stations, on the humble post-card. There were a few more, but who remembers any other village/small town besides Jhumri Talaiya?

Villain Shakaal’s island was 300 miles away from Mumbai, and the right to ask questions there was only his. Kulbhushan Kharbanda, modelled after the Bond villain Donald Pleasance, with a bald head, failed to score anywhere near the 007 baddie in Shaan, but Shakaal’s island captured the imagination of Chaudhuri, as an Iconic place. The author says that the film was made at a cost of Rs. 6 crore, twice the budget of Sholay, and managed to earn Rs. 12 crore. That would classify it as a medium hit or a semi-hit. I am not convinced, though, that Shaan managed those kind of earnings. The buzz all around was that it was a “flop.” I live in Bandra, Mumbai, and the most popular addresses that visitors from other parts of the city or from outside it seek are the residences of Salman Khan and ShahRukh Khan. If you compare the two, Salman’s humble abode will fade out immediately, in front of the imposing multi-storeyed Mannat, which is inhabited by ShahRukh Khan. When I used to interact with him in the late 80s and early 90s, he would often ask me if I knew of a nice flat or bungalow in Bandra that was up for sale. He was in love with the sub-urbs prima, the municipal ward where Mumbai town ends and the suburbs begin, and was desperately looking for accommodation here.

If dates and places have a place in the compendium, can Characters and Things be far behind? Let’s begin with the characters, and you only have to look-up the index at No. 36 to find Crime Master Gogo. And yet, Chaudhuri begins with a female character, but one who cracked the whip at a horde of male villains. You guessed it, Fearless Nadia! Looking for another iconic villain? Mogambo is No. 29. Three more iconic villains make the cut: Gabbar Singh at No. 20, Maharani at 34 and Alauddin Khilji as the closing caller, at No. 50. A major typo creeps in on page 37, where Bhookh is spelt Fookh, with the drop letter F adding a flourish. The reference is to a dialogue from the film Satyakam, which qualifies as Idealistic Nation Builder icon, jointly with Aadmi Aur Insaan. Dharmendra played that idealistic man in this Hrishikesh Mukherjee film, a role that is often rated as among his best ever performances. It was Dharmendra again in Aadmi Aur Insaan, a B.R. Chopra production, directed by Yash Chopra. The idealist fails in both cases, perhaps paving the way for the Angry Young Man.

He was called Vijay Verma in Deewar. Chaudhuri describes him as “…the amalgam of several characters, and yet, he was nothing like any of them.” His dock worker’s badge had the number 786 on it., considered most auspicious by Muslims. Vijay had a cold fury about him, a measured drawl and pithy lines. And this was the Amitabh Bachchan who had come to stay. A taste of things to come was served in Zanjeer, which preceded Deewar, and consolidated in Deewar. Vijay Verma was nothing if not iconic. Maharani was a eunuch played by Paresh Rawal in Sadak, where he was the “Jism key bazaar ka Maharaja, Maharani”, a brothel-keeper, cunning, powerful, ruthless. Malik Mohammed Jayasi’s epic poem, Padmaavat, is about futile Rajput valour in the face of a Muslim invader’s onslaught. It was considered a tour de force when Sanjay Leela Bhansali got Ranveer Singh to play the marauder, Ala-ud-din Khilji, with homosexual undertones. And the Character graph ends here, on page number… I’ll give you three guesses.

The thing is…that the fourth book in this collection is about iconic things. If we take a look at the covers, The Bollywood Book of Iconic Places and The Bollywood Book of Iconic Things do not offer much in terms of known faces or clear imagery. The Book of Characters has Amitabh on the cover, and the Book of Dates features RK and Nargis. Moving beyond the cover, you see that once again, Diptakirti Chaudhuri has begun at the beginning, with Baburao Painter’s camera. This one is an oddball mix for sure. Shakaal (Ajeet, not Kulbhushan Kharbanda)  features courtesy his shoes (Yaadon Ki Baaraat), and Billa (badge) number 786 (Deewar) gets a second outing, while there is one thing that you would least expect: Vicky Donor’s sperm. If you are a film buff, chances are that you would have caught Tirangaa some time or the other Did you guffaw when the villain, imaginatively named Pralaynath Gendaswamy, started lighting up what he called “Nuclear Missile Ka Fuse Conductor?” Here’s your chance to take a second, long look at the climactic hilarity.

Who did white shoes and trousers belong to? And which heroine made an orange saree the talk of the town? Do you recall the FRiEND cap? All this and much more will be at hand once you get your hands on Bollywood Books of…Described in the blurb as a marketer by day and a writer by night, Diptakirti Chaudhuri has written two other books on cinema, one on the history of Bollywood and another on the writer-duo Salim-Javed. He divides his time between Pune and Bengaluru. The set is published by Hachete. The listed price is Rs. 299 for each book and Rs. 999 for the set. You might just get it on Amazon for Rs. 751.

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ATxSG, 2: Post-event Official Press Release

ATxSG, 2: Post-event Official Press Release

Twelve days after the conclusion of Asia Tech x Singapore, which ended on 03 June, there came a press release by email. It is reproduced here, with minimal editing.

As Singapore’s largest technology event since the reopening of its borders, ATxSG brought together 16,600 hybrid (live and online) attendees from 93 countries and regions and 26,000 event visits (this includes repeat visitors). The Singapore Expo, located near the Changi airport on the east coast of the island country, and attached to a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT station) also hosted 600 exhibitors, in three interconnected exhibition halls, showcasing the latest tech products and services, and more than 350 speakers, who shared expert insights across 200 conference sessions.

ATxSG presented attendees with insights from top-notch thought-leaders from the public and private sectors, covering the latest technology trends, challenges, and opportunities arising from the ongoing digitalisation of the economy.

Notable speakers for the exclusive by invitation-only ATxSummit, held on the 31st of May at the Ritz-Carlton Millennia hotel and out of bounds for the media, included Mr. Heng Swee Keat, Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister and Co-ordinating Minister for Economic Policies, Mrs. Josephine Teo, Singapore’s Minister for Communications and Information, and senior executives from the world’s biggest and fastest-growing technology companies, such as Amazon Web Services, Carousell, Epic Games, Grab, Google, IBM, Lazada, Microsoft, Ping An Group, Samsung Electronics, Sea Group and The Ant Group.

“In collaboration with our partners, we successfully gathered more than 2,000 guests and 80 speakers from 30 countries to discuss current and emerging tech issues and the opportunities to harness the power of digital, to build an inclusive digital future. Singapore also announced our commitment to grow trust in the digital domain with the launch of the National Digital Trust Centre, stepped up our efforts to contribute to the Global Partnership on AI, and furthered regional cooperation, through a new MoU with Brunei. We would like to thank our esteemed partners, speakers and guests for truly making ATxSummit 2022 a success, and we look forward to them coming back for a more impactful ATxSG 2023,” said Ms. Foo Chi Hsia, Assistant Chief Executive, Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA).

Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Executive Chairman of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, also made an appearance on-site at the ATxEnterprise Headliners, to discuss the ongoing technology revolution and how governments and industries can best leverage technology to aid global change.

Attendees at ATxEnterprise were also treated to technology showcases from exhibitors from Singapore and across the world, many of whom launched innovative products during the event designed to meet the unique needs of Asia’s enterprises. Participating exhibitors also inked several memoranda of understanding (MOU) and made announcements that reaffirmed Singapore and Asia’s continued attractiveness to global digital-first disruptors, being a region home to some of the world’s largest and fastest growing digital economies. Some of these MOUs and announcements include:

•Singapore start-up FloatingOn announced the launch of a sustainable solution in the form of accommodations that float on water. These modular units can utilise a diverse range of renewable energy sources, which can help land-scarce countries such as Singapore reduce waiting time and cost for new builds. They can also potentially contribute to the creation of an off-grid living environment that can help accelerate the transition to a more sustainable future.

•NCS Telco+ signed an MOU announcing its partnership with Advanced Info Service (AIS), Thailand’s leading provider of mobile services and mobile network operator, to address the digital transformation needs of AIS and other enterprises in the country. The agreement formalises NCS’ support for the digitalisation journey of AIS and the pursuit of joint projects in 5G and IoT transformation, cloud and cybersecurity, enabling enterprises in Thailand to benefit from the combined strengths of AIS’ market leadership and the digital services capabilities of NCS.

•Global Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) company, OneQode, signed an MOU with PLDT Global, the international arm of the Philippines’ largest integrated telco network PLDT Inc. This will help fast-track the deployment of OneQode’s cloud presence in Manila, allowing users in the Philippines to access OneQode’s network and cloud. A presence in Manila will also provide existing OneQode users in Singapore with a redundant connection, should disruptions occur between Guam and Singapore.

•Quebec-based QSTC Inc, which provides advanced space engineering solutions, signed an agreement with PT. Wahana Telekomunikasi Dirgantara (WTD), a leading provider of satellite services to satellite fleet operators and end customers with in-orbit satellites as a business for their fleets. The agreement sees QSTC Inc providing turnkey UHTP Ka and Q/V band services satellites using a dedicated smart Geo-stationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellite. The satellite will provide coverage over Southeast Asia while demonstrating new and innovative digital communication payloads.

The number of visitors on-site, which comprised C-Suite or key decision makers at their organisations, also presented significant networking and business opportunities for exhibitors.

•Mr. Jared Ching, Business Development Manager at DeepBrain AI Inc, a Korean company focused on the use of AI to create lifelike human-based avatars, said: “The event is well-organised, and we are happy with the overall results of our participation at ATxSG. Exposure and turnout were good, with our booth receiving significant foot traffic. This is the first time DeepBrain AI has participated at ATxSG, but we’ll definitely be back.”

•Mr. Zoro Jiang, Regional Sales Manager, SEA at iBwave, a telecom radio planning software provider, said: “This year’s in-person event is better than 2021’s fully virtual event that we participated in. We were initially anxious, in view of the fact that this is our first physical event in Singapore, especially as it took place post-COVID-19, but we’re happy with the high-quality leads that we captured. We’re satisfied with how the overall event turned out, and we will most likely be a part of the Canadian Pavilion again next year.”

•Mr. Kenneth Cheng, Director of Sales, Asia Pacific at NuraLogix Corporation, one of Canada’s fast rising tech companies, said: “ATxSG was the first exhibition in Southeast Asia that NuraLogix participated in, to raise awareness of Anura, our patented, science-backed, award winning world’s first contactless blood pressure and health vital sign monitoring solution through a 30 second facial scan. We are extremely encouraged by the number of visitors to our booth trying this state-of-the-art technology, which included international delegates from verticals such as health tech, insurance, automotive, smart home, smart city, wellness, telecommunication, creating significant business leads for NuraLogix. The resumption of physical events and the interaction was a refreshing change from the past two years, and we look forward to the next iteration of ATxSG in 2023.”

•Ms. Audrey Leong, Founder and CEO, at FloatingOn, said: "We are delighted to have successfully showcased our sustainable floating accommodations at InnovFest x Elevating Founders, one of the co-located events at ATxSG. Our participation at the event was fruitful, having met many potential business partners and investors, including venture capitalists (VCs), accelerators, incubators, as well as business and government decision-makers interested in green technology solutions. Face-to-face interactions at the event facilitated deeper and more meaningful conversations and exchange of ideas, helped start or build relationships, and provided an important platform for startups like FloatingOn to launch and showcase our innovative products and solutions.”    

The co-located events at ATxSG, along with technology showcases and complementary talk streams, accentuated the synergies and opportunities, arising from various segments of the digital economy. This provided opportunities for policymakers, global technology leaders, and public-private decision makers to network, debate, and exchange ideas on the latest technologies that continue to drive digital innovation and transformation across all segments of society, impacting how people work, play, and live.

“We would like to congratulate IMDA and Informa Tech on a successful ATxSG, one of the largest business events to take place since the start of the pandemic. ATxSG has reaffirmed Singapore’s ability to stage effective in-person events, which strengthens our position as a leading MICE destination in a post-pandemic world. We look forward to its continued growth in the coming years as Asia’s flagship tech event,” said Mr. Yap Chin Siang, Deputy Chief Executive, Singapore Tourism Board.

“We are thrilled at the resounding success of ATxSG 2022. It demonstrates the welcomed return of large scale MICE events in Singapore, and the feedback we have received from our delegates, sponsors, exhibitors and partners has been very positive and encouraging,” said Mr. Tom Cuthell, Vice President of Global Festivals, Informa Tech. “The increasing pace of innovation and technological advancement will surface many new developments to explore and showcase, and we look forward to Informa’s continued role in shaping the region’s digital transformation with an even bigger, broader ATxSG in 2023.” 

About Informa Tech

Informa Tech is a market leading provider of integrated research, media, training and events to the global Technology community. We're an international business of more than 1,000 colleagues, operating in more than 20 markets. Our aim is to inspire the Technology community to design, build and run a better digital world through research, media, training and event brands that inform, educate and connect. Over 14,000 professionals subscribe to our research, with 225,000 delegates attending our events and over 18,000 students participating in our training programmes each year, and nearly 4 million people visiting our digital communities each month.

This flagship event joins Informa Tech's portfolio of global tech festivals including London Tech Week and Africa Tech Fest. Hosted in thriving innovation hubs, these global events aim to unite the tech ecosystem to inspire impactful innovation, building a better digital world for both business and society.

About the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA)

The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) leads Singapore’s digital transformation by developing a vibrant digital economy and an inclusive digital society. As Architects of Singapore’s Digital Future, we foster growth in Infocomm Technology and Media sectors in concert with progressive regulations, harness frontier technologies, and develop local talent and digital infrastructure ecosystems to establish Singapore as a digital metropolis.

About the Singapore Tourism Board

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is the lead development agency for tourism, one of Singapore's key economic sectors. Together with industry partners and the community, we shape a dynamic Singapore tourism landscape. We bring the Passion Made Possible brand to life by differentiating Singapore as a vibrant destination that inspires people to share and deepen their passions.

Sangeetha Kannan, OPRG for IMDA

Yanchang Tan, TEAM LEWIS for Informa

Asia Tech x Singapore 2023 will be held during 6 - 9 June 2023.

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Fire at Shanghai petrochemical complex kills at least one person

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Medium Spicy, Review: Only medium, not spicy

Medium Spicy, Review: Only medium, not spicy

This had to be a new take on love. In its promotion, the makers of the film Medium Spicy (in Marathi language) quoted from William Shakespeare’s all-time love classic, Romeo and Juliet, “Love is heavy and light, bright and dark, hot and cold, sick and healthy, asleep and awake – it is everything except what it is!” – Act 1 Scene 1. The movie begins with a reunion party of former catering college students, where liquor flows freely, and ends with an ode to Romeo and Juliet. That’s about the Shakespeare that’s in it. As for the new take on love…not really.

The writer of the film, Irawati Karnik, names her protagonist Nissim (probably after the famous English professor of yore at a Bombay college, Nissim Ezekiel, a Jew) is a Maharashtrian man, 32 years old, and single. His mother is very keen to get him married, so is his married and pregnant sister. His father, however, is neutral in the matter. After a crush on Krishna, a classmate in college, which he could not convert to a love till it was too late, Nissim is now fully obsessed with his job as a sous chef at a prestigious Mumbai restaurant, located within a high-star hotel. When he meets Krishna at the reunion, past passions are briefly re-ignited, only to be doused peremptorily. His only other passion is sleeping it off on his weekly holiday, occasionally smoking a cigarette and, occasionally, reading a book.

At work, there is a beautiful girl called Prajakta, who works in another department, and nurses passionate feelings for Nissim. She often visits the kitchen, sometimes on a pretext, sometimes just like that, to have a word with him. He is reluctant at first, but begins to respond very slowly. He never expresses his feelings for her to her. This delay proves very costly, as Prajakta decides to get married to someone else, an ex-boxer who lives in her building. Which brings in Gowri. Gowri is the chef, the one in-charge. She is a Tamilian, living alone in Mumbai, speaking reasonably good Marathi. A no nonsense person with a commanding presence, she is called a “terrorist” by Nissim’s best friend and co-sous chef, Shubhu. Gowri is a complex character, and her bluntness, combined with her quirky sense of humour, begins to grow on Nissim. Will he be third time lucky?

From the above, it would appear that the film has a linear narrative. It doesn’t. Yes, the story progresses in real-time, but there are so many side-tracks that the straight line often turns into a tangent. One might speculate that writer, Irawati Karnik, has carried over some of her TV writing, episodic, experience into this film script, though she wrote a film called Smile Please in 2019. Some of these tangential expeditions are related to the story, some others are not, often going nowhere. Nissim’s sister Shalaka is pregnant and hell-bent on believing that it will be a boy, and that she will name him Aditya (a very common name for this generation). She is also house-hunting, with her husband, Pradyumn, while staying at her parents’ place. This entire track, though partly funny, has little or nothing to do with the focus of the story.

Then there is Shubhu, who keeps coming up with sentences in Hindi that are half funny (the Hindi could be a result of an Indore connection; at least his wife, Poonam, is from Indore, where Hindi is the main language, not Marathi). He is also an alcoholic, and his wife is very unhappy that he does not spend festive occasions with her and their two children because of work. One day, she leaves the home with her children, ostensibly to spend some days at her parental house, in Indore. Strangely enough, Nissim is dragged into this crisis. The wife is in Mumbai (though it is not specified where she is staying), not Indore, as Shubhu believes, and calls Nissim to a park, where she pours out her heart. Nissim suggests separation, a suggestion which the wife rules out, and says, “I used to be a kabaddi (a team game involving tact, guile and strength) player in school. I will not give up.” As if these two deviations were not enough, we have one more. Nissim’s paternal aunt has been ostracised from the family due to an unacceptable decision she took ages ago. She lives separately, and there is no love lost between her and Nissim’s mother. The other three members of Nissim’s family are okay with her. His father is forced to meet her surreptitiously, once in a while. A track in itself, it appears as a patch on the theme.

One must confess that director-editor Mohit Takalkar, a debutant director, has given the film a slick, bright and attractive look. There is a lot of form. On the content front, he has tried to tackle too many issues and side-tracks, besides the fulcrum point, resulting in dissipation of a lot of the effect. Although he had 140 minutes to play with, he could not succeed in integrating all the side-tracks with the central premise. The recurrent use of Hindi often appears contrived, while the English appears more natural. We would have expected him to dig deeper into the psyche of Nissim, Prajakta and Gowri. Nissim broods most of the time, Prajakta merely floats in and out of Nissim’s kitchen and life, and Gowri has only two stories worth sharing – one related to her parents and another about the deaf-mute chef Kannan, who taught her all about cooking.

As a ploy, Takalkar gets several characters to talk to the camera. While this obviously serves as a distancing tool, as employed by Bertolt Brecht (Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht, 10 February 1898-14 August 1956, known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner and playwright, whose plays and methods have found wide acceptance in India), it seems an exercise in futility. The same content, which, in any case, is not crucial, could have been conveyed by any other cinematic means, like visuals and dialogue. While the hero is a chef, there is too much of food and beverage even outside the kitchen where he works: at his home, in restaurants, etc. Most of the central characters are not totally convincing, but they hardly ever go out of character, to the credit of Takalkar. On the couple of occasions when they do – Nissim and Gowri – they are shown in a breakthrough mode, which might justify their sudden liberation from personality traits that had bogged them down, and the two scenes are moments of expiation and liberation.

As the bearded Nissim Tipnis, Lalit Prabhakar exudes a confused, pensive persona, and that is how his character is painted. He looks the 32 years he is supposed to. On the couple of occasions when he does emerge from his shell, it is a moment of joy for the viewers. Coming into the foreground only later in the film, Sai Tamhankar as Gowri is a delight to watch and listen to. Her English, Hindi, Marathi and Tamil all flow naturally and she has always had those sharp, no nonsense looks. Parna Pethe plays Nissim’s second flame, Prajakta, and she just breezes through, literally, often in slow motion, with a pleasant countenance. One might argue that she should have been more forthcoming in her crush on Nissim, rather than blaming him for delaying his response, but that is a screenplay issue. As his pal Shubhu, Sagar Deshmukh struggles to infuse comedy, with only limited success. Nissim’s sister Shalaka is played by Neha Joshi. It is a substantial part and she performs well. Pushkaraj Chirputkar as her husband, has a cameo-sized appearance.

Old-timer Neena Kulkarni is cast as Nissim’s mother, and comes across as the typical, orthodox Marathi ‘Aai’. Her scene, where she insists that Nissim must get married soon, but definitely not to a fair-skinned foreigner, not even a dark-skinned foreigner, and that if he goes to Paris to work in a restaurant, he must contact the Marathi Association there to find him a Maharashtrian match, is one of the genuine lighter moments in the film. For the rest, she has to ham, and that poses no challenge to her. Ravindra Mankani portrays Sharad Tipnis, Nissim’s father and a retired professor. His is one of the most ill-defined roles in the film. Besides smoking and brooding, he has little else to do. A waste of talent. Ipshita Chakraborty Singh as Shubhu’s wife Poonam has just one scene, and no back-story at all. Another versatile actress, who had begun on the Bombay college stage in the early 70s, Arundhati Nag, makes her presence felt as Laxmi Tipnis, the estranged sister of Sharad, and Nissim’s paternal aunt. Out of the blue, we have Radhika Apte in one scene, fully clothed, pushy, over-bearing, cut-to-cut and down to earth, as a possible match for Nissim, who found him on a website and liked what she saw.

Medium Spicy offers some competent camerawork by Rahul Chauhan and Raghav Ramadoss. Editing by Mohit Takalkar himself leaves something to be desired, and that is surprising, since he is basically an editor. A better option would have been to avoid the side-tracks and concentrate on the main action, allowing for more footage to develop the characters of Nissim and Gowri. Conducted like a symphony orchestra in most places, the music by Saurabh Bhalerao, Hrishikesh Datar and Jasraj Joshi is an asset of the film.

Medium Spicy has a lot of Medium in it, but very little Spicy. There are no fights, dances, item numbers, swear words (a couple seem to have been deleted, to get the UA Certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification, which means Parental Guidance advised), lookalike twins, rebirths, ghosts, grand robberies, nationalistic fervour, etc. There is, though, a lot of smoking and drinking. You could watch it with minimal expectations, and even enjoy it. But unlike the two protagonists, who have a breakthrough moment each, the film is no breakthrough in the art of film-making. On the contrary, it is quite pretentious and indulgent in many parts. But it might just be a minor breakthrough for select Marathi-speaking audiences.

Rating: ** ½

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQWT3CUMqak

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A National Song from The Tibetan Plateau ——The film " Tibetan Horse" is in International Promoting and Shooting

After experiencing the challenging winter of wind, snow, and severe cold, the snowy Tibetan plateau ushered in the midsummer of the year while the calendar turned to June. Tibetan Horse, a large-scale national epic film that has completed the shooting of winter scenes, has also been busy shooting summer horse racing scenes in Tibet. Qinghai Mantanhong Culture Media Co., Ltd., Xining Baita Art and Culture Communication Co., Ltd., Sichuan Miding Media Co., Ltd., Qinghai Linshui Media Co., Ltd., and Maeya Films have gathered tremendous efforts of people of all ethnic groups worldwide, to produce this ethnic-themed epic film in Tibet and Hollywood.

 

The summer scenes mainly focus on the plateau horse racing activities in the Tibet area. In Tibet, according to national customs, Tibetan people have different auspicious festivals from other ethnic groups, and horse racing has always been the tradition of Tibetan herdsmen. There are many Tibetan horse racing festivals in the Tibetan region, such as Northern Tibet Horse Racing Festival, Gyantz Dama Festival, Kangding Horse Racing Festival, Panpo Horse Racing Festival, Tianzhu Horse Racing Festival, Dangxiong Horse Racing Festival, and Dingri Horse Racing Festival. The horse racing festival is called " Daqiong" in Tibetan. It is held every summer and lasts from 5 to 15 days. The horse racing festival also includes many activities full of ethnic customs, including equestrian performances, folk performances, ethnic costume displays, singing and dancing performances, etc. As the main part of the horse racing festival, the activities on horseback include many lively scenes, such as speed racing, snatching hada, horse ride shooting, etc.

As an ethnic-themed film about herdsmen, the summer horse racing festival scene can be called the top priority of the script. The grand scene of the horse racing festival and organize and arrangement of the mass actors have brought certain challenges to the crew. Both the equipment arrangement and personnel scheduling are mountains that the director needs to overcome in front of him. He should not only take care of the grand picture shooting but also take care of the storyline of each actor. To this end, Maeya Film specially invited Hollywood's top technical guidance team to provide remote technical support for the "Tibetan Horse" production team in Tibet. By drawing on Hollywood's professional experience in shooting large scenes and large productions, it helped "Tibetan Horse" better complete the shooting of the horse racing festival.

At the same time, for the global promotion and distribution after the completion of post-production, Ms. Libo Li, the producer of Tibetan Horse, and Ms. Lynn Tang, the chairwoman of Maeya Culture Exchange group, also carried out on-site publicity and promotion for Tibetan Horse at the recent Hollywood high-end party.

 

On the day of the event, Ms. Libo Li, dressed in traditional Tibetan robes and matching with traditional Tibetan headwear, stepped on the red carpet of the event together with Ms. Lynn Tang. In front of the camera of local media, Ms. Libo Li gracefully introduced the traditional Tibetan culture and the exquisite design of Tibetan robes to all the guests at the party. By introducing the international poster of Tibetan Horse, Ms. Libo Li successfully promoted Tibetan Horse, an excellent ethnic film in the production and shooting process, to the event guests from all over the world.

Tibetan Horse not only represents the profound Chinese culture but also represents the beauty of Tibetan customs with rich national cultural connotations and a long history. By describing the stories of brothers of herdsmen in Tibet, the script of Tibetan Horse reflects the primitive Tibetan culture, the beautiful scenery of Tibet, the simple love, and the deep feelings between brothers. Expressing that only the goodness of human nature can spread positive energy, "hatred cannot dissolve hatred, only compassion can thoroughly dissolve hatred". As long as we have the kindness of one mind, then we will realize that all things are good; as long as we have the kindness of one heart, we will be able to understand the love of all things. It was believed that when the summer is over, the shooting of the horse racing festival scenes will be wrapped completely, and the production team of Tibetan Horse will be ready and make full preparations for the post-production of the film.

Please stay tuned for future updates about Tibetan Horse and welcome to contact Maeya Films for more information if interested.

 

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US-led coalition fighting ISIS says it's detained a senior ISIS leader in Syria

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Dances With Films Review: Coffined at 15 | Reviews by Rachael

By Rachael Fisher

“Afghanistan – one of the most dangerous places for women today.” – filmmaker Gayatri Kumar

Gayatri Kumar attends Opening Night of Dances With Films

Words cannot begin to describe the torture or torment these girls are put through at such a young age. Filmmaker Gayatri Kumar captures the fear, horror and pain the Taliban has caused to not just one, but several families all at once in only a few minutes. 

 

Coffined At 15 - Official Trailer from Gayatri Kumar on Vimeo.

 

The short film gives us the perspective of one young bride, Rihana and her downfall at the hands of her fathers’ choice. She kneels next to her father to begin the ceremony, veil covering her eyes. Just as the door opens to reveal the groom, in walks the Taliban. The veil is off and Rihana begs for her life. Her father pushes away her family and young brother fighting to get to her. 

When the father locks the rest of the family away, they watch as Rihana is taken and dropped into the coffin. The Taliban fires their guns in celebration as Rihana cries for her family and begs for freedom. 

In the beginning of the film, we do not see Rihana’s father, only his legs which kick at the family trying to reach their beloved daughter. His face and expression is then revealed as he graciously welcomes the Taliban, with his eyes focused on the duty to send his daughter away.

In the end, we witness his one lasting second to possibly stray from his choice, but instead, he hammers the last nail on his own daughter’s coffin to be sent away to the Taliban. The cries from the family and the banging of their fists on the door fight the laughter and mockery of the Taliban partying of their new capture. 

Her father, the one to make the decision, was the one man who betrayed them all. 

Kumar’s careful choices were evident throughout the film. Such as her choice to cast real Afghan refugees who fled to Delhi, India after facing harassment and trauma from the Taliban to taking a stand as a female American filmmaker to direct such a piece. 

Kumar sends a message to all audiences that the Afghan women’s cries are heard and it is our response to care. The cries in the film from Rihana’s family were not only for this girl’s story, but for the many others whose lives were stolen away from them.

Coffined at 15 will have its world premiere at 5 p.m. PST at Dances With Films at TCL Theatres in Hollywood. Tickets available now at:  https://danceswithfilms.com/coffined-at-15/

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JAZZ FEST: A NEW ORLEANS STORY Interview with Ryan Suffern, Co-Director and Producer

JAZZ FEST: A NEW ORLEANS STORY

 

INTERVIEW WITH RYAN SUFFERN

CO-DIRECTOR AND PRODUCER WITH FRANK MARSHALL,

& PRODUCING PARTNER SEAN STEWART. 

 

 

CV

SO NICE TO MEET YOU HERE ON THE GROUNDS OF THE 2022 NEW ORLEANS JAZZ AND HERITAGE FESTIVAL.

TO BEGIN WITH, PLEASE TELL ME ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND LEADING UP TO THIS FILM-

 

RS

I USED TO WORK FOR THE KENNEDY MARSHALL COMPANY WHERE I HELPED TO CREATE THE DOCUMENTARY DIVISION. 

OVER THE COURSE OF THE PAST DECADE, FRANK MARSHALL AND I HAVE COLLABORATED ON NUMEROUS DOCUMENTARIES, RANGING FROM EVERYTHING FROM MUSIC TO SPORTS TO SOCIAL ISSUES, BUT ALWAYS WITH AN EMPHASIS ON THE HUMAN INTEREST COMPONENT AT THE CORE OF THE STORY, MUCH LIKE THE NARRATIVE FILMS THAT KENNEDY/MARSHALL IS SO WELL KNOWN FOR PRODUCING. 

WE’VE FOUND OURSELVES TELLING ALL SORTS OF AMAZING STORIES ACROSS ALL SORTS OF GENRES, AND OUR JAZZ FEST FEST FILM IS CERTAINLY NO EXCEPTION.

 

 

CV 

WHERE HAVE THESE DOCS LANDED?  

IN THEATERS? STREAMING?

 

RS

ALL OVER THE PLACE REALLY. 

WE MADE “THE BEE GEES: HOW CAN YOU MEND A BROKEN HEART”, WHICH FRANK DIRECTED FOR HBO. 

OUR FILM “SATAN AND ADAM” WAS RELEASED A FEW YEARS AGO ON NETFLIX; WHICH COINCIDENTALLY HAS A JAZZ FEST COMPONENT TO IT, IN WHICH THIS BLUES DUO FROM THE STREETS OF HARLEM ENDED UP PLAYING IN THE BLUES TENT AT THE FESTIVAL…  

 

CV

DID THAT FILM PREMIERE AT TRIBECA FILM FEST?

 

RS

YES IT DID. WE HAD MR SATAN HIMSELF AT THE PREMIERE. 

 

SO, OUR FILMS ARE PRETTY MUCH ANYWHERE AND EVERYWHERE .. WHETHER ITS AMAZON, OR ESPN, OR HULU,

WE RECENTLY HELPED TO PRODUCE A DOC SERIES ON PAUL MCCARTNEY AND RICK RUBIN, CALLED “MCCARTNEY 3,2,1” THAT CAME OUT LAST YEAR ON HULU. 

THIS FILM, “JAZZ FEST: A NEW ORLEANS STORY” IS GOING TO BE THEATRICALLY RELEASED BY SONY PICTURES CLASSICS. 

AND THEN IT WILL EVENTUALLY GO TO STREAMING AND OTHER PLATFORMS. 

 

CV

THIS FILM PREMIERED AT SXSW FILM FESTIVAL IN MARCH. 

HOW WAS THAT?

 

RS

THE RESPONSE TO THE FILM'S PREMIERE IN AUSTIN DURING SXSW WAS REALLY GREAT.  WE HAD A BIG SOLD OUT CROWD AND THE REVIEWS THAT CAME OUT OF THE FESTIVAL HAVE BEEN REALLY POSITIVE, WHICH WAS OBVIOUSLY GREAT TO SEE. 

WITH ANY DOCUMENTARY, THESE THINGS ARE MARATHONS TO MAKE, NOT SPRINTS… 

WE STARTED THIS PROJECT NEARLY 3 1/2 YEARS AGO, AND THEN COVID HAPPENED RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PROCESS. FORTUNATELY, WE HAD ALREADY COMPLETED ALL OF OUR FILMING BY THEN, AND WE WERE ABLE TO WORK ON EDITING THE FILM DURING COVID. OUR FANTASTIC EDITOR, MARTIN SINGER, WAS ABLE TO CUT EVERYTHING FROM HIS HOME, SO WE WERE ABLE TO STAY PRODUCTIVE WHEN SO MANY PRODUCTIONS HAD TO SHUT DOWN. 

WE SHOT THIS FILM ON IMAX CAMERAS, AND THE INTENTION WAS DEFINITELY TO HAVE AUDIENCES SEE AND HEAR THIS FILM ON THE BIG SCREEN. SO WE'VE BEEN WAITING UNTIL PEOPLE WOULD BE GOING TO THE THEATERS AGAIN, WHICH IS GRATEFULLY STARTING TO HAPPEN. 

IT'S SO GREAT THAT THINGS ARE ALL TIMING OUT, ESPECIALLY ON THE HEELS OF THE FESTIVAL FINALLY BEING BACK IN FULL SWING.  

IT’S LIKE GOING THROUGH A TIME WARP, BEING HERE NOW 3 YEARS LATER AND THE PLACE IS PACKED AND EVERYBODY’S HAVING A GREAT TIME: YOU WOULDN’T EVEN KNOW THAT THERE WAS A GLOBAL PANDEMIC THAT TOOK PLACE.

 

 

 

 

 

CV

HOW DID THE IDEA FOR THIS FILM COME ABOUT?  

 

RS

QUINT DAVIS, THE FESTIVAL DIRECTOR/PRODUCER HAS BEEN INVOLVED WITH THE FESTIVAL SINCE IT’S VERY INCEPTION. 

HE’S GOOD FRIENDS WITH JIMMY BUFFETT, WHO IS A FIXTURE OF THE FESTIVAL, AND HAS BEEN FOR DECADES.    

AND JIMMY BUFFETT IS GOOD FRIENDS WITH FRANK MARSHALL. 

SO, WHEN THERE WAS TALK ABOUT TRYING TO DO SOME SORT OF FILM AROUND THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FESTIVAL IN 2019, JIMMY (WHO IS ONE OF OUR EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS) WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN CONNECTING QUINT AND FRANK- AND THAT’S HOW THE CONVERSATION STARTED ABOUT DOING SOMETHING. OBVIOUSLY, WE KNEW GOING IN THAT THERE WOULDN'T BE ANOTHER 50TH ANNIVERSARY. SO WE HAD A BIT OF A TICKING CLOCK TO FIGURE OUT HOW BEST TO TRY AND TELL THE STORY OF THIS INCREDIBLE FESTIVAL

THE FESTIVAL IS ALMOST A MIRROR TO THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS. AFTER ALL, IT IS CALLED THE NEW ORLEANS JAZZ AND HERITAGE FESTIVAL FOR A REASON. I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE MIGHT MAKE THE MISTAKE OF THINKING BECAUSE IT’S KNOWN AS 'JAZZ FEST' THAT IT’S PRIMARILY JUST A JAZZ MUSIC FESTIVAL..BUT IT’S ALSO VERY MUCH THE HERITAGE OF NEW ORLEANS, AND THAT’S WHY WE TITLED THE FILM, “JAZZ FEST: A NEW ORLEANS STORY”. WE WANTED TO INTEGRATE- WITHIN THE PERFORMANCES AND INTERVIEWS THAT WE CAPTURED, A MUCH LARGER STORY ABOUT WHERE THIS MUSIC COMES FROM, AND WHERE THIS CULTURE WAS FIRST DERIVED AND HOW IT IS STILL THRIVING TODAY WITHIN THIS AMAZING CITY. 

 

 

CV

WHILE MAKING THIS DOCUMENTARY, WAS THERE ANYTHING THAT SURPRISED YOU - SOMETHING YOU DID NOT EXPECT?

 

RS

THIS FESTIVAL IS SO MASSIVE, AND IT’S SO RICH WITH SO MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF MUSIC. THERE'S LIKE 7,000 MUSICIANS ON 14 DIFFERENT STAGES PERFORMING OVER EIGHT DAYS. AND THEN THERE'S THE RIDICULOUSLY AMAZING FOOD, AS WELL AS THE CRAFT MAKING, AND THE MARDI GRAS INDIANS PERFORMING, AND ON AND ON…

SO ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES WAS REALLY, HOW DO WE REDUCE THIS ALL INTO A STAND-ALONE FILM THAT DOES JUSTICE TO JUST HOW INCREDIBLE THIS FESTIVAL IS? FORTUNATELY, IN ADDITION TO WHAT WE FILMED AT THE FESTIVAL IN 2019, WE ALSO GOT ACCESS TO A WEALTH OF ARCHIVAL FOOTAGEFROM NOT ONLY PAST FESTIVALS, BUT ALSO ARCHIVAL MATERIAL OF NEW ORLEANS IN GENERAL. 

I’D SAY THAT WAS PROBABLY OUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE, OR CERTAINLY ONE OF THEM- TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO PUT THIS WHOLE GUMBO/MIXTURE OF A CULTURAL EVENT INTO ONE STAND-ALONE PIECE. 

 

 

CV

WE WILL WRAP THIS UP NOW AS I CAN HEAR THAT SAMANTHA FISH IS ABOUT TO TAKE THE STAGE.. I BELIEVE SHE’S  IN THE DOCUMENTARY?

 

RS

SAMANTHA FISH IS AMAZING. SHE'S A FANTASTIC BLUES SLIDE GUITARIST, AND SHE PLAYS ON A CIGAR BOX GUITAR. IT’S REALLY SOMETHING ELSE TO WATCH, AND SHE’S FEATURED IN THE FILM. I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE HER AGAIN!

 

 

CV

FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOT BEEN TO JAZZ FEST, IS THIS A GOOD LEARNING EXPERIENCE ABOUT WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT?

OR IS IT MAINLY FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE GONE TO JAZZ FEST AND LOVE IT? 

 

RS

WE MADE THIS FILM, FIRST AND FOREMOST, TO PAY HOMAGE TO THOSE WHO LOVE JAZZ FEST AND KEEP COMING BACK EVERY YEAR.  AND ALSO TO THOSE WHO LIVE IN NEW ORLEANS AND LOUISIANA AND TAKE SUCH GREAT PRIDE IN ARGUABLY ONE OF THE GREATEST MUSIC FESTIVALS IN THE COUNTRY, IF NOT THE WORLD.  SO WE WANTED TO DO RIGHT BY THEM, AND BY ALL THE ARTISTS WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE FILM AND ALLOWED US TO CAPTURE THEIR PERFORMANCES- AS WELL AS SIT FOR INTERVIEWS WITH US.  

BUT WE ALSO REALLY WANTED THIS TO BE SOMETHING THAT WOULD INTRODUCE A MUCH LARGER AUDIENCE TO THE FESTIVAL, AND TO WHAT MAKES NEW ORLEANS SO UNIQUE AND EASILY ONE OF THE MOST SPECIAL CITIES IN THE COUNTRY. 

 

GEORGE WEIN, WHO IS IN THE FILM AND IS THE FOUNDER OF THE FESTIVAL, SADLY SINCE PASSED AWAY LAST YEAR. 

HE SAID, “NEW ORLEANS IS THE ONLY CITY IN THE COUNTRY THAT HAS A CULTURE THAT IS TRULY UNIQUE TO ITSELF”.

OUR GOAL WAS TO SHOWCASE WHAT THAT UNIQUE CULTURE IS, AND WHERE IT CAME FROM. 

 

 

CV

ONE OTHER QUESTION I'D LIKE TO ASK - ALWAYS INTERESTING WITH CO-DIRECTORS... VERY BASICALLY - HOW DO YOU SPLIT THOSE DUTIES?

 

RS

IT'S A GOOD QUESTION. 

AS I MENTIONED, I'VE BEEN FORTUNATE TO HAVE WORKED WITH FRANK MARSHALL, MY CO-DIRECTOR AND PRODUCING PARTNER ON THE FILM, ON A WHOLE HOST OF DOCUMENTARIES OVER THE YEARS. AND IN THAT TIME, FRANK AND I HAVE DEVELOPED QUITE THE SHORTHAND IN COLLABORATING TOGETHER, ESPECIALLY IN THE EDIT OF THE FILM, WHICH IS REALLY WHERE DOCUMENTARIES ARE MADE. 

HAVING COME FROM AN EDITORIAL BACKGROUND, I LOVE THE PROCESS OF DISCOVERY THAT COMES WITH CUTTING THE FILM TOGETHER, AND FRANK IS ONE OF THE BEST IN NOT ONLY PROBLEM SOLVING, BE IT IN PRODUCTION AND IN POST, BUT ALSO IN SEEING THE REAL POTENTIAL FOR THE STORY DURING THE EDIT. 

AND OF COURSE, WE WERE BLESSED TO HAVE SUCH AN INCREDIBLE TEAM TO HELP US BRING THIS STORY TO LIFE.

 

Ryan Suffern at the 2022 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival (photo credit: Laurie Klugman)    

 

 

 

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