A Conversation with Om Puri

Godot,

I absolutely agree with you that ``American Beauty`` deserved the awards it got. It was an excellent movie exploring different facets of the American psyche. No frills, no glamour, just sheer acting strengths and story line.

Kevin Spacey is a brilliant actor. Have you seen his movies ``Swimming with Sharks,`` ``The Usual Suspects,`` and ``Seven?``

Vineet:#100 & 102

Thank you very much indeed.I`ll check that out again.Is the audio of the Bhajan Available?

Is this Bhajan a rendering of Gathairee Mantir?

I must acknowledge here that the music that has really impressed me most is from South India.I`ve been told about the complexities of the ragaas which can just only be a dream for others.

I honestly can say that this is because of its aboriginal roots and almost 100% uncorrupted haunt of the from the depths of Time & Place.

__________________________________________________wassalaam

Mohajir:

I was refering to the film with the english title:

``Shelter of the wings`` which is in BENGALI language.

Shyam Benegal,Iknow,is not Bengali.Thanks gor mentioning it though.Many think that he is so,because of his name.

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tahmed321, #96

American Beauty was my very strong recommendation. And this is what you have to say about it.

``American Beauty: I though[t] it was disgusting. The middle aged guy with a robot for a wife fantasizes about his daughter`s friend and we are supposed to sympathize with him. I dont know why they gave it so many prizes.``

You`d never know! When I saw it I was unaware that it got any awards. Well, it did, and it deserves all of them and more.

Someone told me a long time ago that it is not the reader that judges a book; it`s the book that judges the reader. Same is true of the movies.

The Morning sun prayer in Ardh Satya is ``Ghanashyam Sundara Shridhara Arunodaya Zhala .....`` . It is sung by Lata Mangeshkar from Marathi film ``Amar Bhoopali`` (Bhoopali is sund in the morning) music by Vasant Desai. This is a Marathi film made in 1952 by V. Shantaram. Starring Sandhya, Panditrao Nagarkar and Lalita Pawar, Amar Bhoopali (English Title Le chant immortel) was shown in Cannes Film Festival and was named for Best Sound Recording from the Centre National de La Cinematographic at the Cannes Film Festival in 1952.

http://www.webcom.com/raag/mar.html

Check for RMM-17

http://members.rediff.com/lata/albums.html

Lokpriya Bhavgeete: Lata Mangeshkar

Ghyansyam Sundara Shridhara ...........

http://www.indian-express.com/ie/daily/20001210/ien10037.html

On Film Amar Bhoopali

http://www.festival-cannes.fr/filmbase/va/films/4/4007.html

Shyam Benegal is not a Bengali as mentioned by Firangi Kush. He is Marathi-Konkani from Northern Karnataka and is related to another Marathi-Konkani Guru Dutt (Padukone). Many folks thinl Guru Dutt Bengali

Farangi_Kush:

The movie you are referring with the Bhajan is `Ardh Satya` based on a Marathi book `Surya` by S.D. Panwalkar. Made by Govind Nihalani . The background bhajan is a Marathi Bhajan by noted Classical singer Kishori Amonkar. (``Shyamsundar Rajasa .......`` Most of the background songs are Marathi given the Maharshtrian background of the movie.

Kishori Amonkar is a very famous Hindustani classical singer from the Jaipur Gharana (daughter of famous classical singer Smt. Mogubai Kurdikar who passed away Feb. 10 at age 96.

URL on Late Mogubai Kurdikar

http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/feb/14spec2.htm

URL for info on Kishori Amonkar

http://news.india-today.com/ntoday/extra/it25/artist10.html

Farangi-Kush #95,

good movies!

Spike Lee`s ``Do the Right Thing,`` was also excellent.

The music from ``The Postman`` was beautiful.

RE # 78

{How about American movies? Anybody seen some good ones lately?}

Part II of Debbie does Dallas is pretty good though nothing comapred to the original. Mobster`s Wife is OK.

hehehehe....

Tahmed:

I could not agree with you more on American Beauty. Annette Bening`s acting was pretty disappointing. Interestingly, both she and Michael Douglas did a great job in The American President. It is an old movie now, but it`s shown very regularly on cable... Pata Naheen Kyoun? whatever...it is an excellent movie.

I have heard great reviews of ``Sound of Music`` play. Haven`t watched the movie yet, I guess I will do that. Thanks for bringing it up.

Take Care

Scout, Godot, Shankar, Rsaxena: So the pick is Hannibal: Agreed. good movie, and the opening battle scene (Romans fighting barbarians in Germany) is very powerful.

Rugrats in Paris: I hear it is good, but had the misfortune of watching a bit of them on TV once and would rather stay away from these diaper clad, spit-spilling little thugs.

Crouching Tiger, Leaping Lizards (or something like that): The landscape is incredibly beautiful - like a Chinese painting, but better and also camera images of real scenes. Maybe instead of Kashmir we should fight for some parts of China (joke) or better yet visit them someday. A Chinese friend assures me that there are tourist spots like that in China. I didnt mind the sub-titles, and think the Chinese language is beautiful (depends on the person who is speaking, I guess).

American Beauty: I though it was disgusting. The middle aged guy with a robot for a wife fantasizes about his daughter`s friend and we are supposed to sympathize with him. I dont know why they gave it so many prizes.

Here is one I recommend that no one has watched in a hundred years: Sound of Music. We bought the DVD, and I am glad I had forgotten all about the movie. The DVD also has something on the real Von Trapp family and it turns out the basic story is quite true. The real family ended up living in Vermont.

OK, back to business (and maybe later I`ll check what mischief my friends on the blasphemy thread up to - I am ready to throw up my hands by now, though.)

ALL:

Some of the best movies of recent times.

Il Postino

Indo-chine

cinema paradiso

china town(& sequel by another name)

same time next year

X(story of malcolm X)

Most of spike lee `joints`[meaning movies made by spike lee)

Lorenzo`s oil

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Could someone PAHleeeese help me.What was the name of the movie in which both Amrish and Om acted.Om playing Amrish`s son.In that movie there is a Bhajan being played in the background & only a few lines are heard before it kind of fades away.

I really really NEED that Bhajan on audio.Now if the movie was Pursh,then of course the entire Bhajan is not on Audio-tape.

This Bhajan was also in another movie,again being played on the radio.I think this is an aarthi bhajan or the morning-sun prayer(beginning with G) and is a regular in the south.Samita patil was in this second movie where she is about to be hanged.

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Anand Math,although with sectarian overtones,and had RSS/Shiv Sena roots is still one of the really great movies made by India.Most of the Film Dev. Corp movies are excellent.``Rudaali`` in my opinion THE Best as yet.

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I can suggest many more,but I think this would suffice for now.If someone desires I would love to point out some of the finer angles/metaphoric unde-currents which are a hallmark of some of our genius directors.[and the european,latin & oriental ones too].

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Last week saw ``shelter of the wings`` by Shayam Benegal.Really a treat.Bengalis are really really good at artistic expression with simplicity & elegance.

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wassalaam

Mohajir,

Is that the one in which OP plays a police officer and Naseeruddin plays an ex police officer going around asking for money? There were some brilliant performances in that movie.

http://www.filmindia.com/films/garland/jaanebhi.html

JAANE BHI DO YAARO (Who Pays the Piper...) colour, 130 minutes, Hindi, 1983 would be one of the best films by Om Puri. [ On a slightly sad note the heroine of this film Bhakti Barve, an extremely talented stage artist was killed in an road accident near Bombay]

Production: National Film Development Corporation/ Direction: Kundan Shah/ Story and screenplay: Kundan Shah, Sudhir Mishra/ Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Ravi Baswani, Bhakti Barve Inamdar, Satish Shah, Om Puri, Pankaj Kapoor, Satish Kaushik, Neena Gupta, Depak Quazir, Rajesh Puri, Zafar Sanjari.

if we are still on the topic of movies ...

this one is a must see unless you`ve already seen it - came out a few months ago - Meet the Parents - side spliiting stuff!!

amongst the more recent ones - 13 days - was surprisingly good; traffic; hannibal - i was dying to see this movie but now i wish i hadnt : (

and ofcourse the latest one from Wang Kar Wai - in the mood for love - which i have yet to see but going by the rest of his movies am positive will be fantastic!!!

Re: scout #83

Thanks for the list. Even if i were to watch 1 play a week,it will keep me occupied for months. I had heard about Dhoop Kinarey but could never get hold of it.

I recently saw Sidney Poitier`s To Sir with love on T.V. It brought back memories. Our English teacher in my schooldays took the whole class to see this movie(that was many years ago).Next time when i visited Blockbuster i got myself a Sidney Poitier movie that goes by the name `In the heat of the night`. A very old movie. Sidney Poitier is a detective who is arrested on suspicion of murder because he happens to be the only black man in a white,racial part of Missisippi. Soon the police find out he is not just a detective but a homicide expery and solicit his help. Slow at times but gripping.

sridhar

rsridhar #80:

I`d like to add a few to scout`s list....

``Karb``; ``Hawwa Ki Beti``; ``Zay Zabar Paish``; ``Shehzori``; ``Afshan``....

Some long plays...

``Abh Tum Ja Saktay Ho``; ``Fanooni Latifay``; ``Half Plate``; there`s another long play I really like but can`t remember the name - Naveed Shehzad and Qavi (a photographer) play this old couple living all alone - I think it was from the ``Drama `83`` series or something - wonderful performances by both.

Also try and get a hold of some of the plays from the old AND recent version of ``Aik Muhabbat, Sau Afsanay``. It`s a series of single/double episode plays. Most are very well acted and directed.

And one of my all time favourites - I know scout`s already mentioned it - ``Angan Terah``.

Enjoy! :)