Film Impressions
Read biographyWhy FILM IMPRESSIONS? Because we believe film lovers deserve better. The quality of film criticism in India has been steadily deteriorating, losing its credibility and intellectual rigour. Instead of informed and unbiased opinion we have been subjected to publicity-driven writing, often manipulated by vested interests. We wish to offer well-argued criticism, insightful interviews, historical perspective... and celebrate cinema in all its glory
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Goodbye superhero, hello real guy: The best actors of 2011
By Vikram Phukan Ranbir Kapoor As it was for this year’s women where we had a clear front-runner in the performing sweepstakes, Ranbir Kapoor in Imtiaz Ali’s Rockstar steals a march on last year’s field, holding together a film that otherwise seems to be coming apart at its seams. In the opening montage, #Amitabh Bachchan #Bollywood #Hrithik Roshan #Mohit Chauhan #Mumbai #Ranbir Kapoor #Randeep Hooda
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Best Actresses of 2011: The Year of the Bad Girl
By Vikram Phukan Earlier this year, our mid-year picks brought out the indie soul of Bollywood, before a litany of blockbusters took over the box-office in quick succession. Female actors often have precious little to do in many of these '100-crore' bonanzas. However, this year has certainly reaped a rich #BestOf2011 #Katrina Kaif #Manisha Koirala #Rani Mukerji #Vidya Balan
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The lost thumris of Pakeezah
by Vikram Phukan Kamal Amrohi's Pakeezah represents one of Indian cinema's shimmering musical milestones. It was composer Ghulam Mohamed's final score. Playback queen Lata Mangeshkar was the voice of the courtesan Sahib Jaan, played by tragedienne Meena Kumari, who passed away shortly after the film's release, resulting in scores of film-goers #Inpraiseof #Meena Kumari #Naushad #Pakeezah
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I never prayed again after Smita’s death: Remembering Smita Patil 25 years later
by Deepa Deosthalee I can't put a finger on exactly when I fell in love with her. I must have been 10, or thereabouts. Memories only come back as random scraps, the kind I once gathered on the pages of a diary from a year gone by. Painstakingly, relentlessly, lovingly. The #InMemoriam #Smita Patil
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S*x, M*rality and Cens*rship about to hit the 50 mark
by Vikram Phukan Given the climate of censorship that seems to exist in the country at this time, what with Kapil Sibal's foot-in-mouth pronouncements, and the recent hue and cry over AK Ramanujan's Three Hundred Ramayanas, we could do well to call attention to a #S*x M*rality and Cens*rship #StageCrit #Sunil Shanbag #Vijay Tendulkar
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The eternal oomph of Helen: A Canadian drag queen’s fan letter
I don't know who Helen is. I have only seen a few of her films. I've never read Helen: The Life and Times of an H-Bomb. I don't follow gossip columns here in Canada or abroad. I couldn't see her documentary before this article was due, and even if #Bollywood #Helen #Inpraiseof #queer idol
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Centrestage Festival: A week of theatre at the NCPA
by Vikram Phukan Last year's edition of the Centrestage Festival at the NCPA saw a slew of reasonably good productions, which included Manav Kaul's take on latter-day dystopia, Haath Ka Aaya... Shunya, and the Sufi melodrama Aaj Rang Hai, which went on to have quite the run #Centrestage Festival #Event #NCPA #Theatre
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MAMI: The good, the bad and the plain annoying
by Deepa Deosthalee The 13th edition of the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image's film festival got underway on Thursday in Mumbai with much fanfare and as many glitches. Year on year, while the size and buzz has got bigger, basic organisational issues haven't been resolved. For instance, delegates can't be sure to #Gus Van Sant #Ingmar Bergman #MAMI #Pablo Giorgelli #TheBigEvent
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The Ten Best of the MAMI Fest
By Vikram Phukan As another edition of Mumbai's premiere film festival gets underway on 13 October (tomorrow), here's our selection of some of the films that may tickle your senses over the coming week, in all the right ways. Melancholia (Denmark/2011/Col./130') It's a shame that the cinematic achievement that is Lars #ListsEtc #MAMI #Melancholia #Miss Sundari #Mumbai's premiere film festival #Pina
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Satyadev Dubey: The enfant terrible of Indian Theatre
By Vikram Phukan Shanta Gokhale has edited a new book on Satyadev Dubey which has brought together essays, interviews and reviews by playwrights, actors and theatre critics as well as a selection from Dubey's own articles in the Mumbai press. In this interview, she talks about her experience putting together Satyadev #BooksWeLike #Satyadev Dubey #Satyadev Dubey — A Fifty Year Journey Through Theatre #Shanta Gokhale