Saturday, June 21, 2008
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
A BATTLE OF NO CAUSES
The battle is on and is at its peak now….the battle between the ‘creative forces’ in the Malayalam film industry…In spite of all the media coverage and both side’s elaborate elucidations, one thing remains indistinct… what are they fighting for?
Some can’t stand Vinayan personally and some can’t stand his films but majority can’t stand both! Take one digression, one story goes like this: long before, Vinayan approached Padmarajan, to assist him in films. But his request was rejected by Padmarajan! Now that’s one of the many reasons we call him a visionary film maker…he could sense it then and there- what could this phenomenon evolve into …but Malayala cinema had it coming…Vinayan invented all by himself and took that impending avatar…well as they say it, “the rest is…” well, come back to the issue… at this point of time, what is the fight all about? The Dileep issue has just been an ‘immediate cause’. While Vinayan took out his personal grudge on Dileep, others took it as an opportunity to take out their grudge on Vinayan…is there anything more to this fight. I doubt.
Everywhere else the showbiz is flourishing like never before. Thanks to corporate producers all kinds of films are getting made and they are all reaching out to people through the multiplexes. But sadly, once the-first-in-many- Malayalam cinema is now losing out on everything new and good…just like the politics and social life everything end up to be a controversy here.
The problem is unfortunately there are few people with real passion for the medium. For almost everyone it’s just a matter of survival. None of the issues discussed is about making of good cinema. The film makers care the least about the future of the medium they are working in. All they care for is their existence and their next project. No union or nor a group of directors ever come up with a future programme for the Malayalam cinema. the kind of stuff they can do using their influence within the industry such as script writing workshops for freshers with aptitude (as that is what is badly lacking in here- good writers) or arranging platforms for the launching of new film makers etc. We see this happening in every other industry like in Tamil, Hindi and even in Hollywood. The big players in the industry setting the ground ready for the next generation by giving them opportunities under the banner of their brand names… Has that ever happened here? an existing successful director identifying a talented newcomer and giving him an opportunity? Fazil could be an only exception, in the case of Siddique Lal. That is a rare thing to happen in Malyalam industry because here most, if not all, big players consider a new comer as their enemy, some one who is trying rip them off their opportunities!
The situation was very evident when new generation editors were denied membership in the Macta affiliated editor’s union! How pathetic is the situation here! As far as I can remember there has never been any creative workshop for the technicians of any of the 19 unions.
What does all this mean? That our industry is ruined by a group of insecure, conformist inside men? What will be the priorities of the new union that is soon to be formed? Will they have an agenda that will throw in some fresh air into the Malayalam film industry?
Tail end: the national awards are out. Malayalam cinema has won some accolades. May be the last time before they kill it completely!
Some can’t stand Vinayan personally and some can’t stand his films but majority can’t stand both! Take one digression, one story goes like this: long before, Vinayan approached Padmarajan, to assist him in films. But his request was rejected by Padmarajan! Now that’s one of the many reasons we call him a visionary film maker…he could sense it then and there- what could this phenomenon evolve into …but Malayala cinema had it coming…Vinayan invented all by himself and took that impending avatar…well as they say it, “the rest is…” well, come back to the issue… at this point of time, what is the fight all about? The Dileep issue has just been an ‘immediate cause’. While Vinayan took out his personal grudge on Dileep, others took it as an opportunity to take out their grudge on Vinayan…is there anything more to this fight. I doubt.
Everywhere else the showbiz is flourishing like never before. Thanks to corporate producers all kinds of films are getting made and they are all reaching out to people through the multiplexes. But sadly, once the-first-in-many- Malayalam cinema is now losing out on everything new and good…just like the politics and social life everything end up to be a controversy here.
The problem is unfortunately there are few people with real passion for the medium. For almost everyone it’s just a matter of survival. None of the issues discussed is about making of good cinema. The film makers care the least about the future of the medium they are working in. All they care for is their existence and their next project. No union or nor a group of directors ever come up with a future programme for the Malayalam cinema. the kind of stuff they can do using their influence within the industry such as script writing workshops for freshers with aptitude (as that is what is badly lacking in here- good writers) or arranging platforms for the launching of new film makers etc. We see this happening in every other industry like in Tamil, Hindi and even in Hollywood. The big players in the industry setting the ground ready for the next generation by giving them opportunities under the banner of their brand names… Has that ever happened here? an existing successful director identifying a talented newcomer and giving him an opportunity? Fazil could be an only exception, in the case of Siddique Lal. That is a rare thing to happen in Malyalam industry because here most, if not all, big players consider a new comer as their enemy, some one who is trying rip them off their opportunities!
The situation was very evident when new generation editors were denied membership in the Macta affiliated editor’s union! How pathetic is the situation here! As far as I can remember there has never been any creative workshop for the technicians of any of the 19 unions.
What does all this mean? That our industry is ruined by a group of insecure, conformist inside men? What will be the priorities of the new union that is soon to be formed? Will they have an agenda that will throw in some fresh air into the Malayalam film industry?
Tail end: the national awards are out. Malayalam cinema has won some accolades. May be the last time before they kill it completely!
Saturday, June 7, 2008
A lot had been heard about this place but in actuality this place was disillusionment...Of course, you can smell coffee from some local shops selling it… but that’s all about it. Kudaku or koorg is one of southern districts of the South Indian state Karnataka. Madikeri or Mercara is its district capital. The misty hills and grass lands, I found no where… if that is what you look for better redirect yourself to Munnar in Kerala or Ootty or Kodaikanal in Tamilnadu.
To share my disappointment I called up my friend Pradeep in Bangalore, who suggested me Coorg. It was then he mentioned Kushal Nagar to me…the Tibetan settlement and Buddhist monastery there…I went without much hope after the classic disillusionment at Coorg. After 90 mts of bus ride, This place was awesome...Big temples, full of bright colours, huge Buddha Statues and lots of young Buddhist monks all around…
To share my disappointment I called up my friend Pradeep in Bangalore, who suggested me Coorg. It was then he mentioned Kushal Nagar to me…the Tibetan settlement and Buddhist monastery there…I went without much hope after the classic disillusionment at Coorg. After 90 mts of bus ride, This place was awesome...Big temples, full of bright colours, huge Buddha Statues and lots of young Buddhist monks all around…
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