Friday, February 23, 2007

When BLACK FRIDAY came to the theaters

Worth all the wait, worth all the hype and much more...thats how me and my friends found Anurag Kashyap's 'Black Friday'. The three of us, walked out of the theater at 1:10 am
(of a weekday) in the morning, stunned, shocked, happy, hypnotised and totally charged up to continue the movie in our conversations for the next one hour. For one of us, it was the second viewing.
Inspired by the likes of Gavras's Oscar winning 'Z' (1969) and Greengrass's 'Bloody Sunday' (2002), Anurag Kashyap, comes up with a chillingly stark and unbiased narrative of the '93 Bombay Blasts. The jinxed director must be very happy about his first theater release, which is based on a book by S Hussain Zaidi. Divided into different chapters, the flavour of a well-researched book prevails throughout the movie.
Excellent performances from everyone (even if he/she is there for a couple of small sequences), the reality like docu-drama structure and a brilliant score by Indian Ocean makes this one a major achievement by an Indian filmmaker. The movie must be heavily promoted in the outside world to showcase Mr Kashyap's talent.
Of lately, our nation is coming of age in allowing the freedom of speech in the movies. This was reflected earlier in 'Parzania' and now, this one. Good for us viewers, I'd say (am already planning my second viewing)
Other flicks in the last few days:
- Blowup (1966) by Michelangelo Antonioni: With the stylish 60's London, a brilliant plot magically and vaguely executed (the usual Anonioni touch), a great score by 'Herbie Hancock' and 'The Yardbirds' this one inspired many a movies like Palma's BlowOut, Coppola's 'The Conversations' and our very own first black comedy, Kundan Shah's 'Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron'.
- Elling (2001), a Norwegian movie by Petter Naess: A beautiful tale of two adult individuals who havent ever faced the world on their own, coming together to do so. This one got a nomination at the Oscars in the foreign movie category.

10 comments:

vishalc2005@gmail.com said...

Have been wanting to see both these movies for quite a while, stupid reasons stopping me from doin so, guess i'll watch parzania on video now; did you get hold of coffee and cigerrattes from that banarasi skirt chaser, he took that and brazil, which is a classic as well, a lot like kafka's writings. But c&C is something you've to see to beleive, brilliant minds at work.

meraj said...

'parzania' isnt half as good as 'black friday' but you shouldne misss it...only to see Sarika's performance.

will pick up c&c and brazil from the fellow.

Anonymous said...

well, true to my word I picked up 2 indian oceans albums the next day .......... black friday sound-track and kandisa ............. and besides the music, there's this huge write-up about the band philosophy on the kandisa album art-work ........... which is out of this world ........... it literally and literarily flows like music :)

- the "two-timer"

meraj said...

kandisa is a fine album...indian ocean is highly talented band which has afound a very unique sound of its own.

alien said...

osho baba kindly accept the trgards of this album and i will be blessed if you could tell me abouta song" come to my bedside my darling comeover here and gentely close the doors"

as who did it and wat is the track name...
regards
Ali baba

meraj said...

you have already mentioned the track's name...'come to my bedside my darling'. the band's name is 'brothers four'

Unknown said...

havent watched parzania or black friday! must do it soon.... now that i have your indulgent reco...

alien said...

osho baba thanks a lot for the same but i am unable to get that song if u have it could you please take some pain to mail me ... i will be greatful.

regards

vishalc2005@gmail.com said...

finally black friday arrived; very disturbing, it reminds u of the sad fact that inspite of evryone knowing everything, the chap memon and dawood ibrahim are still flourshing; but the film really puts across the plight of the badshah khans and the yeda yakubs amazingly; you can see the agony in the eyes of aditya srivastava, what an actor

meraj said...

what an actor, really!