Kumudam Cine Digest

This week's issue of Kumudam online was almost full of cinema stuff.. What is happening to it??? I read a few articles/interviews which made some 'interesting' news:

Ravi K. Chandran

The interviewer obviously goes overboard saying that the big bollywood Khans get his dates first before asking the story.. When asked whether the Indian cinematography has become in par with International standards, he says a disappointing NO.. the reason? We have to use bright lightings; hardly use natural lighting.. Reason for that? Bad movie halls, having poor projection facilities.

IMHO, except in multiplexes and in a countable movie halls in metros, most of the movie halls are poor in this aspect. The situation in B and C centers is even worse.. I am talking about stray light which dulls the picture and reduces the brightness and contrast. His suggestion is, the big heroes should declare that they would not allow their movies to be screened at such sub-par movie halls. I dont think that will ever happen.

Another thing he touches upon is the cinematographers-turning to-directors. Ram had a post on this a few months ago. Ravi says that, many directors, especially freshers, tend to be a lot dependent on their cinematographers, virtually making them accidental ghost-directors. So, the cinematographers think "Why not direct a movie ourselves?". Ravi uses the word 'Kuruttu dhairiyam' for them.

This bit was surprising and interesting. Especially since quite a lot of such conversions have taken place in the recent times. He also mentions that directors like Maniratnam, Shankar and Bala would take total care of direction, leaving a well defined role for the cinematographers.

SJ Suryah
mm.. He has been writing quite a lot in Kumudam nowadays.. According to him, 'Ah Aah' was pretty much what happened in his personal life.. So, we have another of director's own story, after Selvaraghavan's '7G..'. Interesting thing is, he says that his girlfriend was a film personality. mmm.. now I know. She is that famous Punjabi cutie... damn!! He reveals that, one scene in the movie, in which he leaves a long-awaited candle-lit dinner after a call from his boss indeed happened. When I saw that scene, I thought only a total-idiot can goof up like that.. no wonder.

Bharadwaj
The interviewer asks him "For the song 'ovvoru pookkalumey' that you have composed, the singer Chitra and the lyricist Pa.Vijay won the awards but not u.. why?" (What a dumb question...) Bharadwaj's answer is even more shocking.. He says "What did u find great in Chitra's voice? Isnt it not the same thing you are hearing for 20 years? If you read Pa.Vijay's lyrics without music, would u get any feeling? After planning so much and serving the song in the 'Sindhubhairavi' raaga, it is indeed very sad that they didnt give the award to me but to Vijay and Chitra. Both of them know that I created that song."

I can understand his feelings.. but this was not something I expected from him. IMHO, this is total arrogance. After the Cheran-Bharadwaj fallout despite Autographs's success, I read news citing Bharadwaj as the main reason for that. When Unni Krishnan, Swarnalatha and Vairamuthu won the awards for the songs in Kadhalan and Pavithra, composed by AR Rahman in 1994, he didnt mention anything remotely close to what Bharadwaj is whining now. And, in this interview, he is putting himself along the same lines of Ilayaraja and AR Rahman.. One big-headed guy, he seems to me..

And then director Perarasu proudly claims to be behind the thawing of the relation between Vijay and Ajit.

And, CM Jayalalitha kaiyale thaali koduthu Sivakumar's daughter (Surya's sis) kazhuthule maappillai thaali kattinaaram.. yaar yaarellam thaali eduthu kodukkuradhunnu vivasthaiye illaiya..

Vere velaiilley.. pongayya... neengalum unga cinema-vum..