Reviews & Musings

In Kaagaz Ke Phool , Guru Dutt masterfully crafts a visually compelling first meeting between the protagonists, played by Waheeda Rehman, and Guru Dutt himself. Set in an expansive yet sparsely filled film studio, the scene’s mise-en-scène subtly reflects themes of isolation, fate, and artistic destiny. The setting plays a crucial role in establishing the mood. The studio is mostly empty, with scattered props, hanging lights, and large curtains, reinforcing the protagonist’s solitude. 

Indian cinema has long been fascinated with the village. From the earthy, socialist realism of Do Bigha Zamin (1953) to the melodramatic lament of Mother India (1957), the village once stood as both heartland and hinterland — a space of moral clarity, rustic struggle, and often unyielding fate. But as the urban middle class began to dominate cinematic production and consumption, the depiction of the village increasingly came to reflect an urban gaze, that is, a perspective shaped by distance, nostalgia, condescension, or even outright fantasy.  In recent years, this urban gaze has taken on new shades, evident in the way mainstream and indie filmmakers alike have re-engaged with rural India. While some have tried to explore the village as a site of resistance, authenticity, or even horror, others continue to reproduce sanitized or exaggerated versions of village life that serve urban sensibilities more than rural realities. 

Introduction ISIN: 978-93-84030-30-8 Genre: Non-fiction / Cinema Publishers: Westland ltd Price: Rs. 250/- ( I got this book from Writer’s Melon for review ) Some like Farah Khan and Zoya Akhtar had sterling antecedents but it took a tough childhood and intermittent assignments on film sets to win the box office with Om Shanti Om and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, while Ashutosh Gowarikar auditioned for folk dances and failed with his debut film, Lagaan created cinematic history and Anurag Basu had to first dance as a background extra and later overcome cancer to witness Barfi win hearts and awards. These and other hitherto unfamiliar stories of directors belonging to the "100 crore club" like Rohit Shetty and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, the adventurous Kabir Khan and the maverick, Mahesh Bhatt take us through the unusual lives of 15 filmmakers of extraordinary films. Sonia Golani achieves the incredible by sitting each director down to candidly discuss the hype arou...