It was a no-brainer that #Satya would be one of my #50FilmsThatChangedBollywood. When it came out, we -hardened film critics who’d seen it all- were blown away. RGV and his gangsta-pic changed the game. Below is part of my #review
Twenty years on, parts of it are still as cracklingly alive. I liked #Company better, but #Satya set the trend. And became Mumbai-ka-king.
We’d seen RGV do his stuff in Siva. And in ‘95, he’d arrived in Bollywood with #Rangeela, which changed the sound of music in Bollywood, as well as the structure of film : #Rangeela is more song than movie. And of course, Aamir Khan in that unforgettable canary yellow shirt-pant
But #RamGopalVarma and his #Satya cemented his position as a story-teller, and changed the iconography of the Bollywood gangster movie. I want that #RGV back.
Had to break off, because I was headed to the screening of #Netflix original #sacredgames. Felt oddly appropriate as that’s also a gangster-cops-Mumbai take. AND bumped into @anuragkashyap72 there, which is perfectly apt too. #20YearsOfSatya
The panoramic view of the sea, and Bhiku Mhatre and Kallu Mama and Satya. And oh those performances, especially from @BajpayeeManoj. Plus Saurabh Shukla and Chakravarthi. And Shefali Chaya. Even Urmila Matondkar, shorn of preciousness.
Fourteen days after the first symptoms, leaving #Covid19 behind. Me and my family. Immense gratitude that our symptoms were mild, that we could do this at home, and that we had great medical help.
There are enough solid anecdotal stories of people recovering from #COVID19. All I will say is that if you are lucky, like we were, for the fever not to go beyond 104, and normal oxygen levels, you can beat this at home, in isolation.
Our fabulous doc @HShewade was very clear from the beginning that I would do this with paracetamol, and only five days of fever, a nasal steroid, inhaled exactly so. Temp plus oxy levels to be monitored diligently, especially after the 9th day when the fever began receding
Met my childhood friends after six months, both doctors, both on frontline in big hospitals. He showed me photos of how he is in the OT, layers upon layers of PPE, surgical masks and N 95. Sweat pools in their shoes, they splash as they walk.
They spoke of moneyed or connected patients throwing their weight around, not bothered about the doctors who have to operate on them even when they are COVID positive.
They warned of the coming winter, saying that the second wave is always the worst, and that the number of fatalities are only going to rise. Feb-March is what they are looking at
#BlackFriday was also Bollywood’s first full-fledged feature done docu-style. The fact that it finally came out, despite its subject and the long struggle with the CBFC, says a lot about the times the film was made, and released in.
Such an array of fine performances : Kay Kay, Pavan Malhotra, and the most affecting, from Aditya Srivastava. The film was urgent and visceral, unflinching in its portrayal of the lead-up to the ‘93 Bombay riots, and after
A new compendium of short films speaks to these unprecedented times as their makers- Kristen Stewart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Pablo Larrain, among others- create locked down art. Now streaming on @NetflixIndia
A woman calls out a man professing undying love as a serial liar. The virus was created for people like you, she says, long live the virus! Larrain’s short is dark and hilarious
Another one has a couple fighting. Now which couple doesn’t fight? But this one is done via text, while making these funny asides on putting ‘quarantine bods’ on Tinder profiles. Well,haha
Basically we thought the government was running the country. What opposition? Who opposition? Which opposition ? indianexpress.com/article/india/…
The ‘opposition’ doesn’t exist. It’s a chimera
If the current ‘opposition’ wants to learn on the job, they should look at the late Vajpayee. Or Mrs G senior. They were formidable foes, and yet understanding of each others’ differences
Just 10 from 10 whole years? Too few. Finally decided to stop keeping a count. Here’s a list of Bollywood movies which counted for something and made me happy #lookbackindianexpress.com/article/entert…
What was meant to be a quick listicle turned into a fairly detailed look back at the movies which were about something. For those who don't want to wade through the long-ish piece, here's a rapid reckoner #2010-2019
Band Baaja Baraat (2010) Ranveer and Anushka, the sparks that flew, and that roll in the hay, hey. Ghazab kar diya, bread padode ki kasam