Santa Singh

“Just because modern physics doesn’t say so, doesn’t mean they don’t exist.”

–Vikram Bhatt (director of 1920) with his deep insight on ghosts

The following story is probably better than all those films you’ll watch in plush multiplexes.
With this confidence, I present some films that you think would try to aim high and achieve some milestone. But I have a feeling that you’ll still have to rely on the popcorn for that ultimate cinema experience.

Welcome to Sajjanpur

Imagine being a top notch director and working with a star cast that includes a bevy of average actors. Have you heard of that circus bloke who walks on the tightrope and the audience doesn’t know whether he will fall or complete his act? That’s how the spirit of this chap Shyam Benegal looks like. Perhaps he didn’t have the courage to avoid the limelight and stick to the cinema he would like to make. His last effort I saw-a film on Subhash Chandra Bose-was mostly good and you’d hope he’d want to better that effort; maybe he will with Welcome to Sajjanpur but then you tend to flip when you see that the film includes actors like Amrita Rao, Shreyas Talpade and Ravi Kishan. Don’t get me wrong, they are among the better wares in the cinema market but considering that their palate is full of meaty roles, you may wonder if they’d do justice to the cinema you’d expect of Shyam Benegal. Why not theatre actors or some unknown ‘ugly’ chap who’d share the passion for cinema? Oh yeah! you want somewhat salable actors for the market. But then, didn’t you make some low budget lovelies before?

Have we lost the plot?

Rang Rasiya

Look at me, I am so beautiful. And this film is so artistic and glossy.

The best in this film seems to be actor Nandana Sen, a ‘hottie’ who has had no qualms in exposing her best parts on screen; she wears the tightest outfits that draw the best attention to her chest and her derriere. Or she wears almost no outfits. Back to the film.
The promotional poster of the film proclaims, ‘What a man…What a vision…What a life…What a story’. Yeah, it doesn’t matter how the movie turns out to be. A great man and a great story are supposed to mean a great movie. Its like every movie on Gandhi and Hitler is supposed to be good because of the subject. You don’t expect realism and a certain quietness from such films. Painter Raja Ravi Varma, on whom the film is based may have been a quiet painter who disliked pretense (perhaps), but actor Randeep Hooda looks anything but quiet; his mustache and dapper looks seem suited for commercial run-around-tree films. Maybe the film will prove otherwise.

Psst... you think we are artistic enough?

1920

This movie will break records. Maybe not.
It will be the tastiest appetizer for the masses. Maybe not.
What then does this film aspire to become? If anything.
What kind of self respecting person advertises ‘From the Director of Raaz…’ when Raaz was just another ripped Hollywood film!
The director of this film said in an interview that the lead actor of 1920 is not worthy of media since he is not having affairs with women. Some star struck girls will lap this up; as for some of us, we now know what this film aspires to be.

Some statements by the director and my humble understanding:

“An item number is most needed in a horror film. Till then, the audience’s brains are fried with fear…the sequence immediately after will shock the daylights out of you.” (Source)

A top notch excuse for a vulgar dance. Hopefully the film will not be an item of horror for the audience.

“We shot in a haunted house. But we did not have any problems from the ghosts. I think they were quite happy that someone is making a film on them. You can even say the film is sponsored by spirits,”

Yeah, spirits with leaking money bags and an IQ worse than the ghosts of Ramsay films.

Manicured Ghosts?