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Contrary to popular belief, Bollywood only accounts for a section of Indian cinema with the entire industry being the most productive in the world. By ways of providing a more accurate dissection of such a vast range of cinematic tradition, the two films that have been chosen cover Bengali (Pather Panchali) and Hindi (Monsoon Wedding) productions.
Director: Satyajit Ray
Pather Panchali is the first part of Satyajit Ray’s legendary Apu trilogy and is famed for amongst other things being the film that brought international attention to Indian cinema. Despite these vast accolades, the film is in essence a remarkably simple tale of childhood.
Pather Panchali is in fact incredibly modest. Made for just 150,000 Rs ($3,000) director Satyajit Ray was forced to use a cast of almost entirely amateur actors and an inexperienced crew. Yet this crew successfully produced some truly remarkable cinematography, as well as the actors achieving extremely positive results as they blend into the film, creating a strange but brilliantly neo-realist feel, thereby capturing what feels like a true-to-life environment. This would certainly not have worked without Ray’s outstanding direction which manages to create scenes of touching intimacy between Apu’s family, making it impossible not to genuinely care for the characters; their inevitable misfortunes are all the more poignant.
Pather Panchali is a beautiful and extraordinary film, oddly enough only benefitting from its production difficulties. It is a film which brilliantly captures what for the Western audience seems like an entirely different world, as well as providing a deeply moving portrayal of childhood.
Director: Mira Nair
Monsoon Wedding stands as the most recent example of an Indian-made film which received critical accolades in the West, culminating in nominations at the BAFTAs and the Golden Globes. This film also stands as the only Indian film to win a major award at a Western film festival in the last 25 years with its snatching of Venice’s Golden Lion against heavyweight favourites The Others and Y Tu Mamá También.
Unlike the other film we’ve covered, Mira Park’s Monsoon Wedding is a sumptuous and somewhat light-hearted production comprising of a unique interplay between Western and Bollywood influences. We see this interplay between multiple couples within a large family as they prepare for a large and expensive arranged marriage. Within this maelstrom of wedding preparations lies a melange of familial issues including affairs, sexual abuse and general disapproval.
With a screenplay containing so many storylines, there is a lot of praise that needs to be directed towards the director and the screenplay writer since between them they are able to expertly interweave multiple narratives so that all characters are able to garner enough screen time without being either overused or underdeveloped. Monsoon Wedding serves as a unique look at modern Indian life which is truly acceptable to a Western audience that in no way betrays its roots.
Dhoom and Dhoom2!
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