The Great Indian Kitchen ( streaming on Neestream)
Cast: Nimisha Sajayan, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Ajitha V
M, T. Suresh Babu, Ramadevi Kannanchery, Sidhartha Siva, Anupama V. P.,
Nishitha Kallingal
Director: Jeo Baby
Rating: * * * ½
Runtime: 100 min.
This Jeo Baby film is fast waking up the bucolic
Kerala countryside and the rest of India to the reality of Gender Inequality,
male entitlement and misogyny in a far more articulate, coherent and strongly
evocative manner than any women’s liberation activism ever has. The film has
not only garnered rave reviews but also shamed the conscience of many a man
seeking entitlement in a traditional setup where the dice is always loaded
against the women of the household.
The subject matter Director Jeo Baby is dealing
with, is simple. It’s an expose of the inner workings of a traditional
household where the hierarchy is set in favour of the men. Micro focused on the
Indian (Kerala)Kitchen, the narrative follows the female protagonist from
arranged marriage to rebellion with nuanced manifestation of how the
patriarchal setup ensnares and ensures subjugation of women all through married
life.
The film opens into deliberations and processes
involved in an arranged marriage where the girl (Nimisha Sajayan) a product of
Gulf returned parents is presented to a man (Suraj Venjaramoodu) whose
upbringing is pronouncedly traditional, coming from a well-respected
Tharawad(family). The boy and girl have a stilted token conversation before
both the families informally agree to conduct the marriage. Both boy and girl
are mere puppets to their parents aspirations and have been so conditioned that
they accept the role of the elders without question. The ceremony done, we see
the new car and a box full of heavy jewellery come home to the boy’s abode. The
girl gets a reprieve for the first few days as her mother-in-law is kind enough
to give her time to adjust to the new normal. Signs of a not so ideal beginning
are evident in the subtle demands placed on her by the husband. It may be on
the pretext of love but the expectations of servitude from the girl is clear.
When the mother-in-law is called away to care for her own pregnant daughter the
responsibility for running the household chores rest solely on the newly minted
daughter-in-law. And she is game enough to give it a good try in all
earnest…But of course it’s a given that she is bound to be faulted for her less
than traditional approach - especially when it concerns her attempts to ease
the overload of expectations, her attempt to seek out a job and bodily issues
with regards to her menstrual cycle.
The narrative may be linear but it is stingingly
lucid in its attempt to lay bare the double standards inherent in tradition and
customs. The signs that could elucidate frustration are all evident in the
daily drudgery of household chores that the wife is expected to complete. Stark
unromanticised images of women going about their tasks under unviable
conditions are visible all through. The chopping of vegetables, grinding of
rice and preparations for breakfast, cooking of rice over a fireplace, grating
of coconuts, washing of utensils, making tea and sweets, hand-washing clothes
and repeat … It’s a series of never ending tasks amplified by a unfixed leaking
sink – allowing no rest or respite for the protagonist. The not so subtle
taunts and reprimands by the two male members bring things to a boil and the
woman breaks free from her shackles with a symbolic show of rebellion. But she
is just one in a million. Tradition demands that the next victim be readied to
take her place in order that patriarchy stands undiminished.
Even without much dialogue, Jeo Baby pulls off a
stirring diatribe against the status quo. He factors in some telling sequences
as he builds up an impregnable case for women’s empowerment. Most notable among
them are the sequences between father-in-law and daughter-in-law and those
between husband and wife. There are no harsh words exchanged nor is there any
overt display of anger – just a gentle reminder that her role in the family is
entirely servile to the men. With uncomfortable, harsh visuals and
all-too-brief taunt-laden exchanges, the real picture of an arranged marriage
emerges loud and clear. This film is a must-see for everyone!
Colored
individuals portrayed as central characters in a fictionalized mid-19th-century
England, may well be heralded as breaking away from the conventions and
stereotypes but the believability gets hampered in the bargain. The story is
told in the first person. The narrative opens with a well-into-adulthood-David
Copperfield, looking back on his life. The opening sequence has Dev Patel’s
adult David delivering his story in a theater. David is thereafter shown
looking on as his mother gives birth to him. Born in Blunderstone, Suffolk, six
months after the death of his father, he is being raised by his mother and her
devoted housekeeper, Clara Peggotty. David, in lieu of his close bonding with
Clara, gets to spend a few days with her brother and his orphaned niece Emily
and nephew Ham but his seemingly impoverished carefree childhood gets skewered
when on his return, he finds his mother married to a cruel, dominating Edward
Murdstone and his home entrusted to the management of Murdstone’s rather
perverse, perfectionist, sister. Unwilling to be tamed, Copperfield tries to
forge his own path and in the process comes into contact with some intriguing
characters.
Through his
novel Dickens allied early personal experiences -his work in a factory, his
schooling and reading, and his years in reporting, into a successful money rich
novel writing career. While Iannucci and co-scriptwriter Simon Blackwell stay
true to those events they fail to lend them a cinematic weightage that could
aid the viewer in finding something worthy to be ensnared by. Iannucci’s
conventional literary adaptation form (though non-linear) is rather dry and
devoid of an emotional connect.
Class, and dire
economic straits, are glossed over by Zac Nicholson’s picturesque camerawork.
The editing is strip happy while the ensemble acting is fairly competent. The
souped-up believable production design and luxuriant visuals end-up looking self-indulgent
because there is no fun to be had. This rather anemic combination of live
theater and classic farce renders a creative, quirky, absorbing classic into an
incredibly dull adaptation that fails to capture your imagination or heart.
Cast: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, Pedro
Pascal, Robin Wright, Connie Nielsen, Lilly Aspell, Amr Waked
Director: Patty Jenkins
Rating: * * ½
Runtime: 151 min.
(Streaming on HBO Max)
Director Patty Jenkins’ first Wonder Woman outing
was a well-balanced entertainer that was believably put together and offered
the audience some high-tension adrenaline gushing moments. Gal Gadot’s belief
in the role and its place in the superhero hierarchy was evident and she made
the role indelibly hers by living the part of Wonder Woman with equal muscle,
grace and heart.She put on such high-end testosterone
action finesse that the resultant was singularly bedazzling. She was a regal
superhero living much beyond the scale that DC comics envisioned her to be. In this,
Jenkins’ second DC comic’s adaptation effort of Wonder Woman, a cold war set
spectacle, the Superhero is shown to have come into conflict with the Soviet
Union during the 1980s and finds a formidable foe in Cheetah. The arsenal gets
more modern and heavier of course and the makers try to go for bigger and
better but the attempted over-indulgence only makes the lack of a credible
narrative rallying point all the more obvious.
The film opens with a bang. The flashback sequence
featuring Diana (Lilly Aspell) as a young trainee warrior in the magical island
of Themiscyra competing in a contest that tests her strength and skill with
opponents twice her age and size opens our eyes to her valour, tenacity and
unflagging fighting spirit.What she learns from that
experience forms the basis of our empathy towards this warrior princess whose
innate goodness shines brighter than her God-killer-Sword’s blade. That opener
is basically the centrepiece of a narrative that eventually flags under the
weight of its desire to excel with excess. The tonal and elemental balance
displayed in the first outing, gets lost in the battle ground that this outing
weighs in with.
The script co-written by Jenkins, Geoff Johns and
Dave Callaham, based on William Moulton Marston’s original characters, is about
avarice and is set in a time period when people had caught on to consumerism
and materialism with a vengeance. Even though the reference point is the height
of Reagan-era (“WW84”), the inference that self-seeking behaviour to the
exclusion of all else could well be destructive, has relevance even today.
The ageless Diana Prince(Gal Gadot) is currently
living in Washington DC( The Watergate to be precise) and working as an
archaeologist at the Smithsonian, a befitting position for a resourceful
linguist with unchallengeable knowledge about ancient artefacts. An emotional
and period misfit, she bonds with co-worker Dr. Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig)
a misfit herself, who eventually transforms into the villain with chameleon
like stealth. But that happens only after Barbara gets her hands on a
mysterious wishing stone, Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) gets resurrected and
Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal), a fake oil Tycoon makes his evil desires felt.
Gadot of course towers over the unwieldy narrative
with a regal power and grace that is magnetic and Wiig manages a transformation
that is brilliantly timed. Unfortunately the action set-pieces feel a little
repetitive and over-the-top. The story doesn’t feel original either because the
linkage to archaeology and ancient wisdom harkens back to ‘The Mummy’ series
while some of the other story elements link it to the ‘Superman’ series.The
longish, ungainly runtime is utilised mainly for ensuring chaos as the script
follows the three main characters and their wish-fulfilment escapades. Despite
Gal Gadot’s charismatic screen presence, this second edition fails to bring
wonder mainly because it takes a little too long to show-off its flash and
super power.
Pixar’s ‘Soul’ is a magical experience – one that
manages to reach the heights that ‘Inside Out’ scaled a few years back. This
animation film about a musician Joe who has an out of body experience and must
find his way back with the help of an infant soul, is a brilliant psycho-social
mapping of a human being’s growth processes.
Joe’s soul is desperate to get back to his Earthly
body but being mistaken for a mentor to 22 (Tina Fey) who has no desire to get
her pass to an Earthly body, is an impediment he will have to overcome. Joe
will have to convince 22 to get away from the abstract Great Before and into
photo realistic New York.
The narrative gives weight to an interpretation that
could in logical terms be only imaginary. Yet, as an audience, we connect so
entirely to this proposition that it becomes altogether enigmatic and
philosophical in ideology. What we see and believe in here is a depiction of
the soul with thought-provoking poignancy and heft. The animation craft is
cutting edge and the story just draws you in. All the technical aspects are
admirably high-end.
The opening sequences are a little difficult to
follow given the heaviness of the subject matter but eventually it eases into a
beautifully sublime emotional rollercoaster that makes you realise the value of
life itself. Soul is beautifully put-together in that, it sends out a strong message
without being overly obvious about its intent. Every facet here is well-thought
out and presented in a visually colourful and amiable way - making it
meaningful for both, the young and the old alike.
A romance cum
revenge drama this one is a wannabe ‘Ghajini’ but without the vibe, smarts or
savagery that catapulted the ‘Momento’ into a monumental hit.
The narrative
here is typically slip-shod, loosely connected and doesn’t bother to allow for
any empathy towards its lead characters.
Recently crowned
and crowing National shooting champion, Rajdeep Randhawa(Tanmay Ssingh) is
waylaid by a generically chirpy, bold orphan girl Mahi( Musskan Sethi) who
apparently is studying herbology but appears to have all the time to steal
Rajdeep’s gold medal and deliver it to an ailing kid who dreams of owning one.
And before you can say ‘what the heck?’ the twosome become inseparable, the boy’s
parents ( Yograj Singh & Upasana Singh) give their consent and Mahi sets
off to Russia for her higher studies.
Gory stories
about the Russian mafia and drug lords have obviously percolated down to
Bollywood’s simple minded scriptwriters – so the narrative thrusts forward deep
into the Russian underbelly with Rajdeep embarking on a journey to save his
love. What happens in Russia thereafter, is beyond unbelievable. Needless to
say there’s not much hope of raking in the moolah in such devastating times
with such a substandard, unaccomplished product. The songs are hummable but the
days of hit songs propelling a movie to super-hit status are long since dead.
The story-telling is jumpy and feels like the two helmers literally had to do a
tug of war to decide on which sequence to fit into the final cut. Even though
the characters here are half-baked and unjustifiably volatile, the two lead
actors do make their presence felt. Tanmay has the look of flop actor/singer
Vikas Bhalla and Musskan mines Manisha Koirala. Both fail the originality test
but their screen presence cannot be doubted. It’s pretty clear (from this
abysmal engagement) that Bollywood's talent pool is devoid of ideas worth
churning into movies for the big screen!
Mind bending has
become Christopher Nolan’s hallmark and with Tenet he not only plays parallel
and surround with thoughts but he also goes loopy with Time. Tenet is probably
Nolan’s most ambitious (in terms of complexity) with a degree of difficulty
that even auteur filmmakers might find too challenging to take on. Nolan has
scripted this time-twisting sci-fi fantasy (am calling it fantasy because we
don’t really know that this can happen in real time) by using tech tricks and
scientific throws like loops, bridges, parallel universes and time inversion to
ensnare our minds in a tale that has the protagonist ally with the past and the
future while existing and saving the world in the present.
It’s a high-concept
enterprise and Nolan sets the stage beautifully in the opening gambit itself. While
a classical orchestra is on, a team of assassins lay siege to the auditorium
and its audience. Then comes in the cavalry… the play is on whether this was
staged, a test or real. But we don’t really care because it’s an impressive set-piece
opener that gets the ball rolling for what is to be an outrageous world saving (from
Armageddon caused by the future) endeavor that involves a CIA operative who
calls himself ‘The Protagonist’ (John David Washington), a Russian Oligarch Andrei
Sator (Kenneth Branagh) who is the antagonist here, his abused wife Kat
(Elizabeth Debicki) whose main motivation is to be reunited with her young son,
a jack-of-all-skills Neil(Robert Pattinson) and an arms dealer from Mumbai
Priya Singh (Dimple Kapadia). The funny thing here is that everyone appears to
know what’s going to happen, there’s a sense that fate overrides free will and
counter programming and yet there’s this protagonist who is striving to avert something
that is already destined to happen. It’s confusing and confounding to say the
least… yet it’s all so intricately laid out in an elongated exposition that you
are totally spellbound by the visual entreaty of it.
There’s no scene
chewing performance here. The acting ranges from enigmatic, playful to one-dimensional
serious and villainous. There’s a method in this kind of streamlining. The
script and direction don’t ask for anything more as any overplaying would have
rendered the entire set-up thankless. The narrative depth comes entirely from
Nolan’s consummate sleek and slick direction, Jennifer Lame’s tricky editing, thought-revoking
momentum, heart-thumping background score, beautifully envisioned set-piece
action sequences, pulse-pounding sound design and dazzlingly entreating
widescreen cinematography by Hoyte van Hoytema.
Nolan’s films
are complex enough to demand a second viewing and this film, designed to be
watched on big screen cinemas is more so. Unfortunately it has released at a time
when most pockets are running on empty amidst an ensuing pandemic that has life
and death in its thrall. So it remains to be seen whether the cinema going
public will make a second run to the theatres in their effort to decode Tenet’s
complex algorithm.
Celebrity Stylist, Sapna Moti Bhavnani’s internationally acclaimed and award-winning directorial debut film, Sindhustan released worldwide today, May 12, 2020
~The feature doc to have its North American premiere on OTT platform Amazon Prime and the audience from India and rest of the world can watch it online on MovieSaints~
Check out the new trailer - https://youtu.be/agOpfGRiZAg
~Sindhustan is a fascinating exploration of the Sindhi migration narrated through madhubani and ajrak tattoos on her legs~
~Sindhustan which had its World Premiere at New York Indian Film Festival 2019 and Asian Premiere at 21st Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, travelled to 21 international and Indian film festivals and won 8 awards including the ‘Best Feature Documentary in National Competition’ at MIFF 2020 ~
Mumbai, May 12, 2020: After winning the hearts of audiences across the world, renowned celebrity stylist, Sapna Moti Bhavnani’s internationally acclaimed and award-winning directorial debut film, Sindhustan, is slated for a worldwide release with English subtitles on May 12, 2020
The feature doc, which, Bhavnani also produced under her film production banner, Akbar Pains to have its Online Premiere on Amazon Prime in North America and on MovieSaints across India and rest of the world on May 12. The DVDs of the will also be launched on the same day.
Aspect Ratio is the Sales Agent of the film and Indiepix Films is the North American distributor.
Check out the new trailer: https://youtu.be/agOpfGRiZAg
To watch the film online please click here:
India & Worldwide (except North America) moviesaints.com/movie/sindhustan
North America https://www.amazon.com/Sindhustan-Leila-Advani/dp/B0845R4QC1
Sindhustan is a fascinating exploration of the Sindhi community’s migration to India narrated through a series of extensively designed body tattoos, all of which are illustrated on Sapna Moti Bhavnani body. Through the documentary, Bhavnani attempts to also dwell into her roots and the history of the Sindhi community, which migrated in large numbers to India from Sindh during the India-Pakistan partition. The title Sindhustan also refers to the River Sindh, which is Asia’s largest river flowing through India and forms an important part of India’s history.
Sindhustan won the Griffith Film School Award at DocEdge Kolkata 2019 and had its World Premiere at New York Indian Film Festival 2019 and Asian Premiere at Jio MAMI 21st Mumbai Film Festival with Star in India Story, travelled to 21 international and Indian film festivals and won 8 awards including winning the award of ‘Best Feature Documentary in National Competition’ at Mumbai International Film Festival, MIFF 2020.
Sindhustan was inspired by an interesting conversation that occurred between Bhavnani and her maternal grandmother many years ago. Bhavnani was visiting India after staying in the U.S for 14 years. During this time, she was considerably inked; she was desperately trying to hide her inked body. Her grandmother who herself spotted tattoos remarked, “Sapna, you are so old fashioned”.
Sapna was taken further aback when her grandmother said, “You know, when we first came as a human race, we didn’t have countries or governments, we lived in extended families and we all had our markings. We all looked like you. I’m happy to see to you are going back to our roots, your roots.”
Bhavnani was surprised by this statement made by her grandmother as till then she believed the tattoos was her way of rebelling against the Indian culture.
She then set out to chronicle the Sindh community’s history and thus Sindhustan was born. The documentary includes several stories from India and Sindh. It also includes Bhavnani illustrating the Sindh community’s journey through the tattoos inked on her legs, which traces the history of the Sindh community. The tattoos on her legs are designed using the art forms Ajrak and Madhubani which originate from Sindh and India respectively.
Sindhustan derives its title from the Sindhu river. Also, when the Persians came to India, they had difficulty pronouncing ‘se’ and used the alphabet ‘h’ instead. So Sindhu became Hindu and the Hindustan was used instead of what could have been Sindhustan according to Bhavnani.
The celebrity stylist has worked on the documentary for a period of 7 years. During the process, she spoke to people from India as well as Pakistan hailing from the Sindh region, as she wanted to cover all the perspectives of its fascinating history. She also took the help of her friends from Pakistan for shooting footage of Sindh. And thus, the documentary Sindhustan was finally made.
Thrilled about Sindhustan’s worldwide release on two prestigious online platforms after a great run at the festival circuit, Sapna says, “I am so excited to have the WorldWide Digital and DVD release of Sindhustan on May 12th, the same day we won the award for Best Feature Documentary at our World Premiere at NYIFF. Sindhustan is not just a film, it is a movement. It is home for many Sindhi's like me who are clueless of our roots. It is home for many refugees that are trying to find their bearings. It is home for millions who lost their homes during partition. More than anything, to me Sindhustan is hope that one day I will be able to cross the border and touch the soil of my ancestors. I wait with love. Namaste aur Haq Maujood.”
Anupama Bose the India Head of MovieSaints says, “The much talked about MAMI 2019 documentary Sindhustan by Sapna Moti Bhavnani finds a place in our catalogue because of its unique form - where the narratives of partition, displacement, immigration and irreversible loss are told through beautiful Tattoo & Body Art- giving it a unique and extremely contemporary spin. It releases Worldwide with English Subtitles on May12, 2020”
Directors Statement
My ancestors come from a land called Sindh, which was a part of India till 1947. Post which India became independent and split into Pakistan. Sindh remained in Pakistan and the "Hindu" Sindhis were forced either to convert to Islam or leave their homeland. The Sindhis were peace loving people who spent their time singing sufi songs and did not want violence. They left willingly in hordes leaving everything behind. This migration is the largest migration of a culture in history but very few, including Sindhis, are aware of it.
In India and worldwide, they had to learn a new language, adapt to new cultures, learn new trades, just to sustain. The lack of a physical "land" has led to the slow death of their culture and language and the new generation has no idea or access to their heritage.
It was important for me to document their journey so that the youth had some information. It took me 2 years to figure out how I wanted to tell this story. It took me 2 years to figure out how I want to tell my story. This moment with my grandma came to mind. I had just started getting inked And remember covering myself to meet my grandmother for lunch one day. She looked at me and called me old fashioned. I couldn’t believe a 90 year old woman was calling me old fashioned. She told me when we first came on this planet we lived in tribes we didn’t have borders and governments and countries. We had extended families and all had their own markings. “When I see you I see you are going back to your roots and that makes me very happy.” It was evident that ink was going to be the ink I would write their stories with.
The best way to tell a story is to become the story.
My father was born in shikarpur Sindh in an area called hajampara (barbers street). The fact that I am a barber in my adult like does not surprise me at all.
After partition he travelled with his family by ship from Karachi to Bombay where they lived in refugee camps.
My father did not carry the burden of the past with him. He didn’t raise me Hindu or Muslim. Indian or Pakistani or Sindhi. He didn’t raise me boy or girl. I was free to be whatever I wanted. Free of all burdens. He ran a cabaret joint called blue Nile and I grew up with the sounds of jazz and jiggling thighs instead of Sufi singers.
Bombay was my Sindh and Sindhi Curry my culture. History books explained Partition just like a doctor explains 4th stage cancer. Clinical and cold.
When the government denied me a visa to visit Sindh the land of my ancestors, I became the land. My legs carry the stories of their journey and my feet the lack of our roots.
no one leaves home
unless home is the mouth of a shark
You only run to the border when you see the whole city running as well
They say revolutions start from home
Home is where the legs are
I carry the stories as witness on my legs in a hope that they will never die.
About The Director
Sapna has naturally assumed poster-child status as a powerful female figure. She traverses mainstream success with just as much ease as she skirts the underground youth art & culture movement. Ageless, fearless and forever metamorphosing in her endeavours, Sapna has recently begun giving her celebrity-hood the voice of an activist.
Currently Sapna is working on a book for Harper Collins tentatively titled “Chapter One,” Touring the world festival circuit with her directorial debut award winning documentary “Sindhustan,” putting the final touches on her new short “My Dog Is Sick,” and working on the screenplay of her feature “Hara Kiri.”
Sindhustan her first feature length documentary has won the Best Feature Documentary at NYIFF, AIFF, IFF Stuttgart, MISAFF, Caleidoscope Boston, Los Angeles Motion Picture Awards, MIFF and An Official Selection at LAHFF, MAMI, VISAFF, CHALTA PHIRTA DOC FESTIVAL, 50th International Short & Independent Film Festival Dhaka, Asia Peace Film Festival, RETH, Vikalp, UKAFF and IMFF and is getting ready for the World Digital / DVD release on May 12 th 2020.
Actor, spoken word artist, hair stylist, writer, director, producer- Sapna embodies it all as a visionary and change-maker.
The res, like they say, is her story.
About The Producers
AKBAR PAINS
AKBAR PAINS is an INDIAN Independent Entertainment Company founded in 2018 by Sapna Moti Bhavnani and is based in Mumbai and Kamshet.. At AKBAR PAINS we make indie films of complex cut, capable of capturing the attention through the originality of the idea. We respect the director and his/her vision and like taking risks with authors with an unusual vision rather than working with the orthodox.
About MovieSaints
MovieSaints is a 360 degrees Distribution Solutions Provider to Independent films with its own p-VOD (Premium Video-on-Demand) service. It designs customised strategies for filmmakers - combining online & offline screens to help them maximise their reach & monetisation potential. Developed and designed from scratch by founder Priyadarshi Rishiraj, the platform boasts some impressive features like piracy tracking, flexible pricing, customised pages for films, and much more. Anupama Bose (ex NFDC, CNBC, and Phantom) heads content, positioning & strategy. MovieSaints believes that each film is a work of art, a unique expression of the Artist - Filmmaker. Both the Art & the Artist need to be nurtured. Some of the finest voices of our times - Bhaskar Hazarika, Devashish Makhija, Sanal Kumar Sasidharan, Abhiroop Basu, Rishi Chandna, Anupam Kaushik Borah ... can be discovered here. In these times of Quarantine it is the ideal destination to discover and support unique and fresh voices in cinema ... easy, with #NoQueues, piracy safe.
About IndiePix Films
IndiePix Films, Inc is an independent film distribution and online streaming service based in New York City.
IndiePix Films offers a collection that includes thousands of award-winning titles from the festival circuit, popular indie classics, foreign, documentaries and short films. Films can be ordered on DVD as well as downloaded and watched online.[1] The company distributes the movies directly to consumers as well as via national retail channels and select theatrical exhibition. IndiePix also owns Festival Genius, a platform for connecting film festivals to audiences. IndiePix Unlimited, the company's subscription-streaming service, uses Streamhoster to deliver the desktop version for the service, and Ireland-based DMD Max for its mobile content
