10/Movies

Time for another list in Facebook. This time 10 favourite films. Maneesha Singh tagged me and I did the list dutifully. I am loving it…/

Here is what I wrote in Facebook/

Thanks for the tag, Maneesha. Now, it would be difficult task indeed. As everyone in Pune knows, I am mad about movies. Sam and Anoop would vouch for it. Where do you start? With the film, the DVD of which is still with you? The Rituporno Ghosh film? Or, should I mention Amores Perros; I gave you the DVD, you did not even watch it, or those Ray films? Anyways, here is my list, as I remember:

1. Trikal (Hindi, dir. Shyam Bengal) I can mention any Bengal film for that matter; Kalyug, Junoon, even Bharat Ek Khoj, if you can call it a movie, but Trikal is something else, with Leela Naidu, and Goa. I saw the film after my first visit to Goa, and the film illuminated the place for me.
2. Pyaasa (Hindi, dir. Guru Dutt) Was there ever anyone else? Or anything else? And when he sings, ‘Jinhe naaz hai Hind par, woh kahan hai…”
3. Jait Re Jait (Marathi, dir. Jabbar Patel) Later, he made great films like Umbartha and Sinhasan, but this film, with a young Mohan Agashe and smouldering Smita Patil is time capsule. And those songs… “Mi raat takli…”
4. Pratidhwani (Asomiya/Khasi, dir. Bhupen Hazarika) Another time capsule of a movie. The songs, the doomed romance between a shepherd and the beauty married to the Khasi siem, the scenery. “…khublei shibun, shibun tomakai…”
5. Sri 420 (Hindi, dir. Raj Kapur) Because it’s Raj Kapur, the original showman, and the song, “Ramaya vastavayya, main ne dil tujhko diya…”
6. Solaris (Russian, dir. Andrei Takosvsky) What if you got to relive your lost love all over again, would you make the same demands? Would you make the same mistakes? Some questions have no answers.
7. Baraka (No Language. dir. Ron Fricke) This is the world, man, and this is the film for this world, and it’s a blessing.
8. The Holy Mountain (Spanish, dir. Alejandro Jodorowsky) This is a fever dream, spiritual madness, where turd can turn to gold.
9. Pan’s Labyrinth (Spanish, dir. Guillermo De Torro) This is where myths and realities merge. If you don’t believe in fairy tales, you don’t believe in anything.
10. Happy Together (Mandarin, dir. Wong Kar-wai) A doomed romance unlike anything else. When he says, all unhappy people are the same, you tend to agree.

Hey, Sam, Anoop, give it try at this please.
How about you, Ankit? Want to make one? I would love to see your list.