Re: [arr] AR Rehman’s master strokes come alive with Masakalli and Gaenda Fool

[V S Rawat]

On 6/12/2009 9:44 AM India Time, _Gayathri Chandrakasan_ wrote:

> I still 
> think that Delhi6 is a ripped off version of Swades.The theme is almost 
> the same...A guy from US comes down to India and the story goes on about 
> the new environment he endures. And what starts as amusement soon turned 
> into a big revelation to him...he sees racism, caste difference eating 
> into the people's mind. Women are only good for cooking and cleaning.  
> In fact, the same Ramayana drama potrayed in Swades,can be seen in 
> Delhi6 too.

Here, please allow me to differ from you, gayathri ji.

Swades was a kiddy movie - a totally artificial one. It was a forced 
movie, a "made up" cosmetic movie, a show case movie. There was no 
reality in it. A concept was picked and a loose story was woven to give 
shape to that concept. It was like a soul-less documentary like what 
shyam benegal made Bose to be - ticking down a list that such and such 
things are to be shown.

My personal opinion that is, about the movie, while the music by our man 
was great.

On the other hand, Delhi-6 the movie was superb, excellent, one of the 
most realistic and greatest movies ever made in India. It has soul - 
real Indian down-to-earth soul. So many dozens of character each having 
a tiny story of his own, appearing for 2 min, 5 min, 10 min on the 
screen and then going behind the curtain not to be missed or noticed 
while he/ she was not appearing - Well, that is how life is, that is how 
mind works - concentrating on whoever is present in front of the eyes.

The actings were so natural and earthly and contained - probably except 
only prem chopra who appeared quite a filmy role.

This movie can be seen a 100 times and each time you would notice new 
things that you had earlier seen but had conveniently forgotten as the 
next of the dozens of characters walked in to the screen.

With so many parallel and interwoven sub-stories, it must be one of the 
most complex script ever written for Indian screen.

The movie flopped because of badly conceived preaching at the end. 
People go to the cinema hall to get entertained, not to get an earful of 
lecture. It offended the ego of Indian public and so they turned it 
down. Also, it just lectured and didn't offer any as down-to-earth 
simple solution for the communal harmony problem as the rest of the 
movie portrayed, so the public came out of cinema halls empty handed 
really, with a heavy head.

I hope Mehra learns from this fiasco of his destroying the greatest 
script at the end, and he would come up with better, more earthly films 
with an earthly ends.

On the other hand, I have no hope from Ashutosh Gowarikar. He has been 
hit due to Aamir, SRK and Hritik so he gets financed and he has no brain 
or skills and he can't make any good movie. He would continue taking big 
names and those films will also be hit, however bad they are.

--
Rawat

Re: [arr] AR Rehman’s master strokes come alive with Masakalli and Gaenda Fool

[V S Rawat]

On 6/12/2009 9:44 AM India Time, _Gayathri Chandrakasan_ wrote:

> I completely agree with the author as far as AR Rahman's music in Delhi6 
> is concerned. They were simply magnificient, esp the Masakali number. I 
> didn't really think much of Masakali when I first heard it but the for 
> some reason, the song kept playing in my head and I kept humming it. But 
> as time goes, I just fell in love with the song...the moment i hear the 
> song today I just have to increase the volume and sing along with it. 
> And Rehna tu was awesome as well...if a song can be called as elegant, 
> then Rehna Tu is simply the most elegant song I've heard in recent times.

wow. Gayathri ji, you prompted me to confess the same.

I also had not held maskali in high esteem when I had heard it first. I 
like soulful, emotional songs from our man, and I first thought this was 
sort of a catchy song for street guys or kids or teens really ;-) a la 
pappu can't dance, so I had "left out" such songs for them and didn't 
hear it much then.

I have still not hear these much, but maskali indeed went on to become 
so popular that it kept on reaching my ears anywhere I go, and now I say 
that maskali holds a new milestone in ARR's creativity and uniqueness. 
He could come up with such a song - the anecdote has it that it was ARR 
who initiated to have a song on the pigeon - without the director asking 
him, and what lovely freak out style it has been rendered - those phurr 
phurr - if the lyrics had not been so particular in describing a pigeon, 
  anyone would have been thought it to be a song cheaply teasing a sexy 
girl on the road - he he he - a la old cheapos like "kaan me jhumka chal 
me thumka kamar ke choti latke".

So, now I can appreciate how so highly creative ARR went to give masakali.

Thanks for helping me think about it and say it.

--
Rawat