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Reviews
Morning Raga (2004)
Good photography & location but average storyline
Produced by the well-known Tollywood director Raghavendra Rao, this movie is a refined version of a typical Tollywood movie. He appears to have selected the locale but otherwise seems to have left the direction department well alone.
Shabana stands out with her performance. The roles of Prakash Rao and Perizaad could have been better thought out; the well-known & talented Tollywood comedian Dharmavarapu is wasted in a silly role that is supposed to be funny but hardly brings a smile. Lillette Dubey is very good, but why does the director make her ride a buffalo at the end? I was gratified to note the movie was shot in the beautiful Konaseema. The photography and editing are top class. Shabana should have spoken at least some Telugu - she did in Shyam Benegal's movies. This would have brought greater authenticity to the role.
The Carnatic music pieces are of course beautiful, thankfully unspoilt by the attempt at fusion - I particularly like the renditions of "Mahaganapatim" and "Thaye Yasoda".
Overall worth seeing once.
Devadasu (1953)
Superb direction, acting and wonderful songs
A superb recreation of the novel. Superb direction, acting and wonderful songs. ANR made his mark with this movie, and did he act! He left an indelible impression.
I have not seen the Bimal Roy version or the latest extravaganza by Sanjay Leela Bhansali but I have seen the Saigal version. It was good and had some super numbers like "dukh ke.." but ANR easily towers head & shoulders over Saigal as Devadas.
A Classic. Don't miss it, even if you don't know a word of Telugu.
Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001)
A very positive movie
I decided to comment after I've read the other comments. Most of the comments were by well informed westerners; I felt the views of a reasonably well informed Indian might be useful.
The producers claim that the movie is based on a real incident that happened in the late 19th century; I don't know if this is true. What was definitely heartening is that they made an attempt to make the movie fairly authentic-looking - by hiring real western actors rather than fair skinned Indians wearing blue contact lenses to play the British roles, daring to have the chracters speak in English rather than accented Hindi, and more than adequate efforts at creating the period atmosphere. These had been lacking generally in Indian movies. There are of course exceptions like "Shatranj ke Khiladi", but then it is made by Ray.
The first part of the movie is very good, in spite of the usual Hindi movie cliches. They have handled the script very well. Overall the movie is definitely too long & I found the second part dragging & full of sporting cliches, but I could clearly see the rest of the audience hugely enjoying it.
It is definitely a very clever box-office idea - it has cricket, nationalism, and the evil British officer who gets beaten at his own game (both literally & figuratively)! But this is a very positive movie, and this is what I like most about it. It shows how confidence, enthusiasm planning and hard work can win, and it shows it well. I think India needs more such movies - and then, so does the world.
Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962)
A beautifully made movie with excellent period atmosphere
A beautifully made movie of the travails of an aristocratic woman in late 19th century Calcutta neglected by her husband as seen by a sympathetic lower-class acquaintance. The woman is ever the faithful wife, always trying to win the attention of her drunkard & womaniser husband and failing.
Excellent period atmosphere, and superb acting by Meena Kumari. Waheeda Rehman provides the glamour, but her role is superfluous. Abrar Alvi is credited with the direction, but grapevine has it that it was the great Guru Dutt himself who directed the movie. It certainly has the Guru Dutt stamp.
Satyajit Ray's Charulata has a similar theme & is set in the same period, but unfortunately I haven't seen it so can't compare both.
Pather Panchali (1955)
Superb photography and passion for the story
I first saw Pather Panchali as an undergraduate in 1973 at Vizag, India. I heard a lot about Ray by then, & had already seen his "Mahanagar", which I did not appreciate.
The first thing that struck me was the superb photography. Everything was shot in un-improvable fashion, from the marriage arrangements at the rich neighbours' house to the wrinkles on the old aunt's face.
The second thing is that Ray's passion for the story comes through so clearly. I heard he gave up his job, and pawned his wife's jewelry to make this movie, but still did not have enough. He apparently kept on wondering if he would be able to make the movie before the boy who played Apu grew up or Chunibala Devi, the old aunt died.
The beauty of the story grew on me over subsequent viewings. I even had the good fortune to view the entire Apu trilogy on three subsequent days - it was very clear that Pather Panchali stands head & shoulders even over the other two.
Please see the movie.