This weekend was pretty much a ‘movie-weekend’ for me, much in the lines of IITM days when we used to lap up movies after movies whenever we got time. I got to watch three movies, and I had so many thoughts bubbling within me after the three movies, that I couldn’t stop myself from scribbling them down the moment I got some time.
The first of these was the latest Bollywood release “Luck By Chance”. For a family that has been related to the Hindi Film Industry for such a long time, and in such multifaceted roles, it was only expected that their take on the ‘Inside Story’ of the industry will be very genuine and refreshingly different. To say that the movie did not disappoint me would in fact be an understatement. I was actually in a way very happy that I got to see such a progressive angle from Bollywood in commercial movies. The way the movie ends with Farhan and Konkona’s characters poised at such a critical emotional “see-saw” of a position, and the way the movie starts – with that brilliant song picturizing all the real workforces of the Industry who work so hard and yet are never given the credit for playing an important role in the process of making a blockbuster hit – if you are an avid movie watcher, you could easily identify such moments from the movie which are quite different in essence and presentation than any other run of the mill commercial movie. The characters were all so vibrant, and all the views of ‘Bollywood from within Bollywood’ were really brilliantly constructed and presented – and it goes to show in reality that show business in India is really that larger than life, and it really can change everything for you completely if you are associated with it, in whatever capacity may it be. The movie appeals to our senses in so many ways and at so many levels -- for example; in the way the huge dance sequence is depicted, in the emotional outbursts from a successful producer and a yesteryear’s successful actress narrating their experiences, in the way a guy can actually forget his friends and his love once the showbiz success gets to him, in the way the so called ‘Stars’ think about their work. There is a scene in the movie when Hrithik Roshan (playing Zafar Khan, the ruling heart-throb) drives into a street in a car and some urchins run towards his car, just to have a glimpse of their hero. That is in a way the summary of what Zoya Akhtar’s attempt succeeds at sending across – the fact that our very own Bollywood superstars are indeed no different from us and they too have their own issues in life, virtues, vice, the good and the bad. These people are just the mix of everything that the common man is – save for the fact that they have been lucky to be able to make it that big. In my opinion this movie is a good and pleasant example that Bollywood is indeed changing, and maybe we can expect much more from it in the days to come.
Even before I had recovered from ‘Luck By Chance’, I went in for another movie – this time a Hollywood release called ‘The Wrestler’. If the former left me happy, the latter left me overwhelmed as I left the theater. All I could be amazed at was that in so many ways ‘The Wrestler’ as a movie transcends into the level of a masterpiece. The acting by the three major characters, especially Mickey Rourke as the wrestling circuit’s very own hero ‘The Ram’, was absolutely brilliant, and as many have said so far – Rourke’s own experiences of being a sportsman helped him achieve that combination that made the movie such an awesome experience. For fans of the WWE, like I was as a kid, the superstars and their high-flying showdowns, those memorable punchlines, the entry music and the roaring crowds – these have always had such a special place. However, we all have sometime or the other wondered what must be the real picture behind all these. ‘The Wrestler’ shows it all – and just like ‘Luck By Chance’, this movie is in some ways about all that goes in to making our superheroes what they are. There are quite a few sequences of wrestling shows where the camera shows how the shows are done, and how all these injuries and high flying actions happen – and trust me, you will be affected so much that you will fail to observe that you have been right on the edge of your seat. There were moments when my friends and me simply couldn’t stop from crying out “Oh &^$^%$$” in the theaters. And then, when you see the fall of the legendary Randy Robinson, your heart goes out for the old man who struggles to cope with the realization that no matter how much of a superstar one is, the real world is always going to treat you a lot differently. He realizes that he might be a superstar, but once out of the ring, he is not quite wanted to be a part of things – things that he wishes to be a part of. You realize why he decides to get back to the ring, and your mind gets heavy as you see Randy ‘The Ram’ high flying for one last time – and then, just when you thought there’s more … the movie ends. There are two scenes in the movie which I think I can never forget. The first one is when Randy gets a meager job at a Deli counter, and has to get into the counter from behind a curtained corridor. As he walks down, from the background you hear the loud roaring of the crowd, his name being announced, his entry theme, and then just as he crosses the curtain – there are the common noises of customers lining up at the Deli. The second, and one of the best moments of cinema I have seen, is when Pam runs to Randy just as he is about to make the comeback-match entry, and Randy says that he needs to return to the ring because the only place he can get hurt is the world outside the ring, not inside it. When you come to this moment in the movie, just try and rewind to all those moments on screen when you see the wrestling matches and the injuries that they inflict – the man says that is not pain enough to topple him, but what the world outside has to offer, that’s just too much for him to take.
Deep within, I hope Mickey Rourke’s performance gets awarded at the Oscars, just in the same way that I do for Heath Ledger. The movie deserves to be rewarded for the brilliant storytelling that it has done – something that every movie should be looking to do.
P.S: And for all music lovers like me (on second thoughts, Rock and Metal lovers) – you guys will end up enjoying the movie all the more. Watch out for classic stuff like ‘Bang Your head’, ‘Sweet Child of Mine’, and ‘Balls to the Wall’ …
Speaking about Oscars … I just can’t stop wishing ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ all the best, but there is something more to that as well.
Too long a read eh? Well, then ‘Slumdog …’ comes up on the second part of this post.
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