Best Director
[Indian Language]
Mel Gibson just got
a directorial nomination at this years Academy Awards, a well deserved one for
his visceral work in Hacksaw Ridge. This is despite his controversial past and
anti-Semitic views.
I'm sorry, I'm just
a bit ecstatic. When a filmmaker despite all that is his personal life creates
a film worth viewing and at least doesn't overtly or in this case even subtly
display his questionable views then there's nothing wrong in applauding the worker,
the work and the workmanship if not the person.
I mean to be fair,
even despite the obviously Nazi glorifying propaganda Leni Riefenstahl is still
a fine filmmaker if not even one of the finest.
That is the power of
a filmmaker, regardless of agenda the vision should flourish and flourish such
that the essence of cinema remain intact; even when they push a point or make a
film for commercial appeal.
The best example
being last years winners both Meghna Gulzar [Talvar] and Chaitanya Tamhane
[Court]
So whether it was a
mainstream Marathi sensation or a specific indictment of the law and order
system, these five directors deserve the applause and more...
Vetrimaaran for Visaranai
Overall as a
filmmaker, Vetrimaaran has an astute understanding of the power of conventional
and unconventional cinematic techniques.
So where one gets
the outlining of underdog protagonists that bring out empathy, one also gets
the unconventional method of not giving a face to the enemy and rather boldly
proclaiming it as the faceless system.
So where one finds
the cumulative final act action set piece in the midst of a moral quandary,
then one also gets the surprisingly two structure plot within the confines of
minimal location creating for a moody and tense piece of art.
Vetrimaaran's aim
with this film was to experiment and create something that hit hard when
considering the real to life story he adapted it from, if a director's views
are his vision and then the film; in that case he won a long time ago.
Nagraj Manjule for Sairat
Nagraj Manjule might
as well be considered a vicious prankster, setting up a near three hour long
film and at its centre a genuinely touching and blissful romance between young
hearts; he hacks you down with his harsh finale.
However that truly
isn't the case when one examines the poetic beauty with which he builds a film
on a bed of thorns, not roses.
Yet the light
hearted and very intense romance still remains and that is a testament to the
directorial abilities of Manjule. Not only does he manage to leave you with a
heart wrenching message and thought on the outdate caste system, but he also
presents a cinematic flourish and depth in a mainstream film proving that you
can have best of both worlds.
Gurvinder Singh for Chauthi Koot
With Chauthi Koot,
Gurvinder Singh provides proof of his fine capabilities as a filmmaker if that
weren't already obvious from his maiden venture.
His sophomore
efforts is an amalgam of two poignant Waryam Singh Sandhu short stories and
could very well have made effective short films too. However despite what
should have turned into an indulgent feature film art house piece becomes a
powerful examination on paranoia and the breakdown of innocence when violence
is around the world.
Suffocating and
tense, Singh manages to hold the audience into a lengthy film where nothing
much actually happens except for the menacing fearful build of the atmosphere.
He keeps you reeled in for a silent but horrific pay off, encompassing the
viewer into the world.
It's a haunting
skill for a haunting film.
Q for Brahman
Naman
With Brahman Naman,
Q manages to do something different and for a filmmaker that is wildly
different; this is nothing short of a miracle. He crafts a film with a heady
heart, a breezy feel but more importantly an observant eye on what makes young
men tick despite their sexual perversions and unlikeable self inflated egos and
opinions without being judgemental or actually giving a damn about judgement.
What Q does despite
a story that is never really his is also not short of a miracle, as he keeps
his own identity intact in creating a film that gives to his writer and teams
vision without ever compromising his own distinct style.
What Q does then is
create a miracle, a film that is an absolute comedic abomination of epic
proportions and undeniable wit.
Karthik Subharaj for Iraivi
Subharaj is fast
becoming a master of genre cinema in Tamil films, it's that post modern
subversive outlook that make his films a treat to watch again and again.
Where most
filmmakers are trying to cash on half heartedly on the whole feminist phase and
women oriented film, in comes in Subharaj with a feminist film viewed from the
prism of men. Not just any men but an array of them, who try to be on the wrong
or right side if there is one in order to be men only to fall woefully short
[though not without either a lack of trying or a judging tone].
With this Subharaj
brings the elements all together in a heady cocktail of an unconventional noir
thriller while playing with elements most profound in mainstream Tamilian
cinema, specifically the reverence to music and with an added heft of symbolism
of all kinds.
It's a film that
propels the talents of Subharaj further because he propels the film further
with his brilliance.
And the Winner is...
Vetrimaaran for Visaranai!!!
A winner by a whisker, all five were on each others tail in a race that proves that cinema and cinemawalas are beyond language barriers.
Up Next: with another huge win is Vetrimaaran's Visaranai a shoo in, or does biggest threat Chauthi Koot with a huge screenplay win match up? Best Indian Language Motion Picture...
'Nuff Said,
Aneesh Raikundalia
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