Contemporary Movies With A Difference : Pink, Chalk n' Duster,  Agasi Parlour and Angry Indian Goddesses

                                                                     I have been seeing movies continuously for the last two to three months. This includes Hindi, English and regional movies as well.  Certainly, there is a remarkable change in movie making, and certainly it has  changed for the better over the years. Socio-political themes interest the producers and directors a lot nowadays. Lot of new ideologies and concepts have crept into new movies. The present day movie directors are contemporary issue conscious, language and scripts conscious and know how to blend technology with that. Especially new directors and script writers are trying to approach small unnoticed but very important issues of our daily life with a touch of research and present them to the public consciousness. These small issues hitherto ignored and marginalized have taken the center stage these days. Lot of experimentation is taking place in the content handling in innovative ways. The recent movies based globalization, urbanization, and post modern philosophy celebrates hybridization of elements. In this context, many films have collaged animated fragments into it or to touch upon nostalgia, some films have incorporated some historical scenes and songs from the old classical movies. Advanced technology has not only improved the quality but also has made it easier to make films with special effects. Today, even school students are doing short films with their mobiles and screening them on social net works.               

 Pink - A few days back I saw the thought provoking movie Pink in the television.  Very sensitively and intelligently made this film focuses on gender issue and presents how a patriarchal society perceives an independent and liberated woman, and takes advantage of the situation. The dressing codes and behavioral codes of liberated women as signs are here decoded according to the wisdom and taste of the patriarchal society. Hence, meanings are attributed arbitrarily and dependant on contexts, every sign can generate multiple meanings. Cultural contexts are very important for the hermeneutics. The court scenes in the film are very convincingly etched out with straight and powerful dialogues. As a lawyer in the film, Amitab Bachchan's acting is superb, spotless and humanistic. The perception of Woman as an object of pleasure has not changed since decades even though feminist movements have been making efforts to erase the gender discriminations. This film is directed by Aniruddha Roy Chodhary, and produced by Rashmi Sharma and Shoojit Sircar. Tapasee Pannu as the lead role has graciously contributed to film as a forceful modern independent woman.

 Chalk n Duster- Recently, one particular movie interested me very much that is Chalk and Duster.  Veteran  actors like Shabhna Azmi, Juhi Chawla and Girish karnad have enacted in this film. The film revolves around the present education pattern in the nation and how some people try to make business out of education pattern. It reflects the present education scenario of our country. The real meaning of education seems to have lost its significance - dedication, hard work, sincerity, simplicity, empathy - all ethos seem to have lost place in the corrupt education pattern. The film has a very contemporary and realistic approach and shows the significance of talented and intelligent teachers who are the true pillars of education where even attractive infrastructures fail to contribute. Teachers who build the character of the children are very much looked down upon and poorly paid. By seeing this kind of movies, the educational institutions should correct the education pattern which is being corrupted by the capitalists.  The film is short and neat. This film is directed by Jayant Gilatar and produced by Amin Surani.

Agasi parlour -  Last week, a regional film named Agasi parlour was screened  and  a large gathering was there to view the film as the film could not get the mainstream release.  The film is about urbanization- the move from old patterned hair cutting saloon to hi-tech parlor.The name of the film itself shows the hybridization. Agasi is a Kannada Language word which means the main portal of the village. Parlour is an English word. Agasi Parlour as a metaphor stands for globalization and urbanization. The film tries to portray the changes that are socially taking place in the rural areas and how it affects the people connected within that set up. The main barber character, a dejected and pessimistic role, is played by Prakash Belavawadi, a film maker, where as his wife's role is very optimistic and energetic throughout the film. The script writing is very good and tight. The director has really made sincere efforts to capture the beauty of north karnataka kannada language through his brilliant script writing. The pronunciation, the slang have come out brilliantly through the matured acting of the artists. Mahantesh Ramdurg is basically a theatre artist and his passions for films compelled him to script and direct this movie himself along with one theatre artist. Though this is a debut venture, he has done sensitively.

Angry Indian Goddesses:  This is a feminist theme oriented film, where only female characters dominate the film space. Each girl is interested in making a career for herself and wants to lead an independent life. A bunch of young girls from different fields with future dreams in their eyes meet for one of the friend's marriage at a house in Goa. The dress and the behavior of the girls suggest how the society is changing. Smoking and drinking, until now restricted to male, have taken a way in to the everyday life of women. The film deals with the issues like identity crisis, lesbian, rape, and finally   it totals up to existentialism. The comparison between the Indian goddesses and these independent open minded girls opens out on new line. Indian Goddesses, most of them, are angry goddesses are prayed and revered, whereas these girls named after these goddesses are tortured and harassed.      

 Latest movies dare to showcase the present realities vividly in simple and direct way. Highly forbidden topics are decoded and bared before the audience, so that the very thin line of demarcation between personal and public has been erased. New identity issues like gay and lesbian have been explored openly in literature, theatre, movies and art. So in this way, life is being covered holistically and showcased.      

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