Decoding Bollywood!

Behind the glitz and glamour, the glittery world of movies is often surrounded by the stories of insecurities and failing relationships. The glimpses of the manipulative and often patriarchal Hindi film industry have been seen in various movies – from Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s coming-of-age drama, Guddi (1971) to Zoya Akhtar’s poignant, Luck by Chance (2009) to the underwhelming Madhur Bhadarkar directorial, Heroine (2012). Shyam Benegal’s 1977 drama, Bhumika uses the same theme to depict the life inspired from yesteryear Marathi actress, Hansa Wadkar. Bhumika traces the tempestuous life of a leading actress, Usha (Smitha Patil), who grows from a spirited young girl into a woman shattered beyond repair, even if her life as a film-star may appear to be perfect from the outside.   I also could not help but draw parallels to the tragic life of southern actress, Silk Smitha, who was brought to life for celluloid by the spectacular Vidya Balan in The Dirty Picture (2011). Much like

As I watched Guru Dutt’s 1959 cult classic, ‘Kaagaz Ke Phool’, I wondered how beautifully filmmakers and cinematographers of the day used the limitations of lack of colours, to their advantage. Before colours entered our cinemas, black & white films with primitive technology and an expensive film-reel, required tactful mastery. ‘Kaagaz Ke Phool’, first Indian movie to use the wide-screen Cinemascope technology, also explored a few untouched and unfamiliar shooting techniques which enhanced the viewing experience. Directed by Guru Dutt with V.K Murthy at the helm of the camera, ‘Kaagaz Ke Phool’ was a brave attempt in Indian cinema – both in terms of the camerawork and the story. One of the most captivating features of the cinematography is the brilliant use of lights and shadows. Any reference to the stunningly shot Kaagaz Ke Phool is incomplete without a reference to the iconic song, ‘ Waqt ne kiya kya Haseen Sitam ’. Shanti (Waheeda Rehman) and Suresh Sinha (Guru Dutt)