Saturday, September 17, 2011
Birth of an Actor
Throw stones and I will build a house try 2 burn me and I will use that fire 2 light my life.if u chase me I will reach goal faster.
I was astonished to see the above statement when maverick film maker Ramgopal Varma tweeted it long ago.What an incredible confidence this guy has!!!He is the best example for optimism and confidence. Most probably he is one of the best character actors Indian cinema has ever witnessed.Yes i am talking about the Prakash Rai also known as Prakash Raj.
One of my earliest memory of him is from t.v serial Guddada Bhoota telecasted on Doordarshan in early 90s.Needless to say,it had an unforgettable theme song which was rehashed from a Tulu Folk song and Prakash Rai made a name for himself from that serial.He slowly started to act in movies in supporting roles,most memorable are his small role in epic war movie Muthina Hara,Nishkarsha,Lock up Death and many Ravichandran's movies.
One fine day he got a call from guru K.Balachander and he offered him a role in the movie Duet which did wonders to his career.A small time actor from Bengaluru who started acting in stage plays, suddenly became a household name in South India and then a superstar.
According to me his three best performances are Iruvar in Tamil,Nagamandala in Kannada and Anthapuram in Telugu.His potential as an actor came out very well in Iruvar and he won National Award for it.It is considered as one of the best works of Mani Rathnam as well as Prakash Rai.It is the fictionalized account of the life of Tamil film icon MGR and writer politician Karunanithi.Prakash Rai played the character influenced by Karuna who speaks pure Tamil and Prakash Rai being a non Tamil carried the role very well.Coming to Nagamandala directed by multiple National Award winner T.S.Nagabharana,the way he spoke North Karnataka dialect Kannada in the movie is priceless.It is very hard for the guy who came from South Karnataka region.His acting is over the top once again and it became a surprise hit in the box office even though it was made with a artistic feel.After his Telugu blockbuster Okkadu he became most sought after villain in Tamil and Telugu and actually acted in lot of mindless commercial cinemas but invested the money he earned from it in making sensible cinemas through his production house, Duet movies.He made some critically acclaimed movies like Velliterai,Poi,Mozhi,Payanam,Puttakkana Highway etc.Most of them were commercial success as well.
I personally feel his acting skill is comparable to Hollywood giant, multiple Academy Award winning actor Jack Nicholson.In India, movies are very star centric and are made for masses.There is huge dearth of sensible audience who appreciates serious cinema.Generally, movies with rich artistic value is considered as elite and very less amount of money is spent on that kind of cinemas and also it gets very little amount of attention.Some of his brilliant Kannada movies which i know, deserved more recognition but ended up being an 'art' cinema with lack of promotion and he him had to choose mainstream commercial cinemas which hardly did justice to his enormous talent.
What surprises me the most is his command over the language and understanding the local culture and literature.He proved his versatility by doing lead roles, supporting roles,villian,comedian and also won two National Awards[Actually he deserves more] and many State awards,Filmfare awards.Indian cinema needs more intellectual producers,film makers who truly loves literature,cinema.Prakash Rai is one of them.He just needs respect and appreciation from the audience.
I was astonished to see the above statement when maverick film maker Ramgopal Varma tweeted it long ago.What an incredible confidence this guy has!!!He is the best example for optimism and confidence. Most probably he is one of the best character actors Indian cinema has ever witnessed.Yes i am talking about the Prakash Rai also known as Prakash Raj.
One of my earliest memory of him is from t.v serial Guddada Bhoota telecasted on Doordarshan in early 90s.Needless to say,it had an unforgettable theme song which was rehashed from a Tulu Folk song and Prakash Rai made a name for himself from that serial.He slowly started to act in movies in supporting roles,most memorable are his small role in epic war movie Muthina Hara,Nishkarsha,Lock up Death and many Ravichandran's movies.
One fine day he got a call from guru K.Balachander and he offered him a role in the movie Duet which did wonders to his career.A small time actor from Bengaluru who started acting in stage plays, suddenly became a household name in South India and then a superstar.
According to me his three best performances are Iruvar in Tamil,Nagamandala in Kannada and Anthapuram in Telugu.His potential as an actor came out very well in Iruvar and he won National Award for it.It is considered as one of the best works of Mani Rathnam as well as Prakash Rai.It is the fictionalized account of the life of Tamil film icon MGR and writer politician Karunanithi.Prakash Rai played the character influenced by Karuna who speaks pure Tamil and Prakash Rai being a non Tamil carried the role very well.Coming to Nagamandala directed by multiple National Award winner T.S.Nagabharana,the way he spoke North Karnataka dialect Kannada in the movie is priceless.It is very hard for the guy who came from South Karnataka region.His acting is over the top once again and it became a surprise hit in the box office even though it was made with a artistic feel.After his Telugu blockbuster Okkadu he became most sought after villain in Tamil and Telugu and actually acted in lot of mindless commercial cinemas but invested the money he earned from it in making sensible cinemas through his production house, Duet movies.He made some critically acclaimed movies like Velliterai,Poi,Mozhi,Payanam,Puttakkana Highway etc.Most of them were commercial success as well.
I personally feel his acting skill is comparable to Hollywood giant, multiple Academy Award winning actor Jack Nicholson.In India, movies are very star centric and are made for masses.There is huge dearth of sensible audience who appreciates serious cinema.Generally, movies with rich artistic value is considered as elite and very less amount of money is spent on that kind of cinemas and also it gets very little amount of attention.Some of his brilliant Kannada movies which i know, deserved more recognition but ended up being an 'art' cinema with lack of promotion and he him had to choose mainstream commercial cinemas which hardly did justice to his enormous talent.
What surprises me the most is his command over the language and understanding the local culture and literature.He proved his versatility by doing lead roles, supporting roles,villian,comedian and also won two National Awards[Actually he deserves more] and many State awards,Filmfare awards.Indian cinema needs more intellectual producers,film makers who truly loves literature,cinema.Prakash Rai is one of them.He just needs respect and appreciation from the audience.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Paramathma First Look
Movie: Paramathma
Director:Yograj Bhat
Cast:Puneeth Rajkumar,Ananth Nag
Music:Harikrishna
Release:October
He gave us epic Mungaru Male,and with Pancharangi he made us laugh.The man Yograj Bhat is back again with Paramathma starring the biggest box office star in Kannada filmdom Puneeth Rajkumar himself.The film is expected to create box office records.The film is shot in the beautiful locales of Sakleshpura,Dakshina Kannada and the surrounding coastal areas,Shimoga.Here is the first look
Director:Yograj Bhat
Cast:Puneeth Rajkumar,Ananth Nag
Music:Harikrishna
Release:October
He gave us epic Mungaru Male,and with Pancharangi he made us laugh.The man Yograj Bhat is back again with Paramathma starring the biggest box office star in Kannada filmdom Puneeth Rajkumar himself.The film is expected to create box office records.The film is shot in the beautiful locales of Sakleshpura,Dakshina Kannada and the surrounding coastal areas,Shimoga.Here is the first look
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Saint of Indian Cinema
The name is G.V. Iyer,Ganapathi Subrahmanya Iyer,'Bheeshma' of Kannada Cinema.He was born in Mysore to a orthodox Brahmin family in British India.He is known for making first ever Sanskrit film in the world.
He started his career in pioneer of modern Kannada theatre Gubbi Veeranna's drama company as an actor along with Dr.Rajkumar.Then he moved to cinema from theatre and acted in any mainstream commercial cinemas.He along with Rajkumar,Balakrishna and Narasimharaju produced Ranadheera Kanteerava with Rajkumar in lead which is the turning point in his career and also it is one of the most notable cinema of Kannada film history.He also acted in many commercial movies along with Rajkumar.Then he produced Vamsha Vriksha which brought three geniuses together.It was directed by great theatre personalities B.V. Karanth and Girish Karnad which went on to win National award for best direction in 1971.Another Kannada Superstar Vishnuvardhan made his acting debut through this movie.
Then he made musical Hamsageethe,a land mark in his career with then upcoming actor Ananth Nag in the lead.Its music is scored by Dr.Balamuralikrishna which won him critical acclaim and awards.The movie is based on a novel by Ta.Ra.Subbaro which was already made as a Hindi movie Basant Bahar in early 50s.
Adi Shankaracharya,a Sanskrit movie directed by him fetched him awards and international recognition.He became the first film maker in the world to make a movie in the most ancient langauge Sanskrit.
He made movies in Kannada,Tamil,Hindi and Sanskrit.He also made a movie on Swami Vivekananda in Hindi starring popular actors like Mithun Chakraborthy and Hema Malini.He made another Sanskrit movie Bhagvad Gita based on the Indian epic Mahabharath.
He passed away in 2003 in Mumbai.
He started his career in pioneer of modern Kannada theatre Gubbi Veeranna's drama company as an actor along with Dr.Rajkumar.Then he moved to cinema from theatre and acted in any mainstream commercial cinemas.He along with Rajkumar,Balakrishna and Narasimharaju produced Ranadheera Kanteerava with Rajkumar in lead which is the turning point in his career and also it is one of the most notable cinema of Kannada film history.He also acted in many commercial movies along with Rajkumar.Then he produced Vamsha Vriksha which brought three geniuses together.It was directed by great theatre personalities B.V. Karanth and Girish Karnad which went on to win National award for best direction in 1971.Another Kannada Superstar Vishnuvardhan made his acting debut through this movie.
Then he made musical Hamsageethe,a land mark in his career with then upcoming actor Ananth Nag in the lead.Its music is scored by Dr.Balamuralikrishna which won him critical acclaim and awards.The movie is based on a novel by Ta.Ra.Subbaro which was already made as a Hindi movie Basant Bahar in early 50s.
Adi Shankaracharya,a Sanskrit movie directed by him fetched him awards and international recognition.He became the first film maker in the world to make a movie in the most ancient langauge Sanskrit.
He made movies in Kannada,Tamil,Hindi and Sanskrit.He also made a movie on Swami Vivekananda in Hindi starring popular actors like Mithun Chakraborthy and Hema Malini.He made another Sanskrit movie Bhagvad Gita based on the Indian epic Mahabharath.
He passed away in 2003 in Mumbai.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
10 movies to see before you die!!!
Every Friday movies comes and many vanishes from the mind of audience but some stay and very few haunts.Alfred hitchcock's Psycho released in 60's but still the immortal bath room murder scene continues to remain in every film lovers consciousness.Our own Mugambo of Mr.India still brings chills down in the spines of many people.That is the power of cinema,the most loved and popular art form in any part of the world.So i am gonna write about some of the English movies which i think are masterpieces.I didnt include any Quentin Tarantino's movie here,because i think almost all of his movies are must see.
10.The Exorcist:One of the most popular horror film of all time directed by William Friedkin.Plot of the movie almost looked like it is inspired from many stories we hear from Indian villages.Everyday i used to hear similar stories in my hometown where i saw some of the so called exorcists.Story deals with the desperate attempt of a mother to bring back her daughter through exorcism who is dealing with demonic possession.Yes it has a ridiculous plot but trust me it will scare the hell out of you.
9.Rocky:The classic sports drama tells rags to riches story of a small time boxer played by my favourite hero(mark my word he is the real hero) Italian Stallion Sylvester Stallone.I watched the movie at least 5 to 6 times so far and each it unfolds the possibilities of will power of human being and inspires me a lot.Stallone himself written the screenplay based on a famous fight between Muhammad Ali and Chuck Wepner.Many sequels followed it but any day first one is better than others.
8.The Jungle Book:Evergreen animated Disney classic based on the story by Nobel laureate Rudyard Kipling and produced by Walt Disney himself.It tells the story of a 'man cub' Mowgli lost in the deep jungle and raised by wolfs.I think this is one of the most popular animated feature film ever.
7.Psycho:A psychological thriller directed by master of suspense thriller genre movies Sir Alfred Hitchcock.This is probably his best work till date and also one of the best movies in this genre.The shower murder scene,one of the most celebrated scene in the film history,it spawned many myths and legends over the years and also i think its one of the most controversial and debated scenes ever.
6.Schindler's List:An intense biographical drama directed by Steven Spielberg tell the story of Oskar Schindler who tried to save Jewish from Nazis in German invaded Poland.Steven Spielberg won an well deserved Oscar for this movie.Spielberg,being a Jew understood the pain of Jewish people very well.
5.Ben Hur: One of the most expensive movie of its time and also the most successful grossing over $90 million.An epic movie directed by master film maker William Wyler with a huge budget based on a novel.It was nominated for 11 Oscars matched only by Titanic and Lord of the Rings Return of the King.The chariot race scene is one of the best action sequence ever filmed,read somewhere that it took 3 months to complete the shooting.
4.The Kid: It is the story of the Tramp played by legendary Charlie Chaplin,who finds a baby and adopts the baby.Produced,directed,written by Charlie Chaplin and the character the Tramp became one of the most memorable characters in history of cinema.
3.Forrest Gump: My favourite movie of all time.It tells the story of Forrest Gump who was told he has a below average intelligence.One of the finest performances by Tom Hanks and also one of the most memorable performances ever.The film is wonderfully directed by Robert Zemeckis,it challenges societal norms with comical overtones.Most of the characters in the movie are memorable be it Bubba or Lieutenant Dan Taylor or Forrest.
2.Titanic:Most popular expensive epic romance film directed by James Cameroon,the movie is based on the sinking of The Royal Mail Ship Titanic in 1912.The love story and central character is fictional.Everything is so perfect in the movie.Be it casting,visual effects,sets,screenplay,direction everything.It is a flawless masterpiece and impossible to make it again. It was nominated for 14 Oscars and won 11,again a great achievement.Hail James Cameron for such a wonderful movie.
1.The Godfather:When marverick film maker of India Ram Gopal Verma made movie called Sarkar,stated that "Like countless film makers all over the world,i have been deeply influenced by The Godfather".Such is the impact of this movie on every film maker all over the world.American gangster drama movie directed by Copolla based on the novel of same name by Mario Puzo starring legendary Marlon Brando as Vitto Corleone,Al Pacino as Micheal Corleone.Everything in the movie is so popular and immortal."I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse" is one of the most popular movie quotes ever and also its soundtrack.Two sequels followed it but original always remains as the best.The Corleone family lives on in the mind of every movie buff even after 40 years.
There are many other movies like Lord of the Rings triology,Saving Private Ryan,Gone with the Wind,The Dark Knight,One flew over Cuckoo's Nest etc etc etc which are my personal favourites but couldn't add in the list.
5.Ben Hur: One of the most expensive movie of its time and also the most successful grossing over $90 million.An epic movie directed by master film maker William Wyler with a huge budget based on a novel.It was nominated for 11 Oscars matched only by Titanic and Lord of the Rings Return of the King.The chariot race scene is one of the best action sequence ever filmed,read somewhere that it took 3 months to complete the shooting.
4.The Kid: It is the story of the Tramp played by legendary Charlie Chaplin,who finds a baby and adopts the baby.Produced,directed,written by Charlie Chaplin and the character the Tramp became one of the most memorable characters in history of cinema.
3.Forrest Gump: My favourite movie of all time.It tells the story of Forrest Gump who was told he has a below average intelligence.One of the finest performances by Tom Hanks and also one of the most memorable performances ever.The film is wonderfully directed by Robert Zemeckis,it challenges societal norms with comical overtones.Most of the characters in the movie are memorable be it Bubba or Lieutenant Dan Taylor or Forrest.
2.Titanic:Most popular expensive epic romance film directed by James Cameroon,the movie is based on the sinking of The Royal Mail Ship Titanic in 1912.The love story and central character is fictional.Everything is so perfect in the movie.Be it casting,visual effects,sets,screenplay,direction everything.It is a flawless masterpiece and impossible to make it again. It was nominated for 14 Oscars and won 11,again a great achievement.Hail James Cameron for such a wonderful movie.
1.The Godfather:When marverick film maker of India Ram Gopal Verma made movie called Sarkar,stated that "Like countless film makers all over the world,i have been deeply influenced by The Godfather".Such is the impact of this movie on every film maker all over the world.American gangster drama movie directed by Copolla based on the novel of same name by Mario Puzo starring legendary Marlon Brando as Vitto Corleone,Al Pacino as Micheal Corleone.Everything in the movie is so popular and immortal."I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse" is one of the most popular movie quotes ever and also its soundtrack.Two sequels followed it but original always remains as the best.The Corleone family lives on in the mind of every movie buff even after 40 years.
There are many other movies like Lord of the Rings triology,Saving Private Ryan,Gone with the Wind,The Dark Knight,One flew over Cuckoo's Nest etc etc etc which are my personal favourites but couldn't add in the list.
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