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Home , Anuj Sharma (actor), Bindu (actress), Cinema of Manipur, Dev Anand, Farooq Sheikh, Jagriti

SUNDAY TIMES OF , NEW APRIL 15, 2012 SPECIAL REPORT 17

MY ROLE MODELS A heritage mission to restore all audio- video tapes of our Marking movie’s films, a museum of cinema, a single- window clearance high moment for locations in the aside for this mission in the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-2017) and its archives will BOOKMARK country. Grand be set up in a hilly area to protect films from temperature and humidity. Five classics from plans are underway The first of its kind Museum of In- literature made into dian Cinema is also in the offing. “The memorable films to mark 10 decades museum will be housed in two buildings at the Films Division premises in Mum- R K Narayan's : Irrfan picks the films and the roles that of movies in the bai. The heritage building of Gulshan gave the he would have grabbed without a Mahal, a popular filming location, should performance of a lifetime second thought land of cine lovers be completely ready by December and the new, modern building should get ready NAYAK | Satyajit by next year,” says Varma. Other plans Ray's evocative Khare Ghose | TNN include a single window clearance for film has Uttam film locations in the country, a float ded- Kumar playing a hen icated to the centenary at the next year’s matinee idol with spooled the reel of Raja Republic Day parade, a postal stamp, and an effortless Harishchandra on May people’s participation in the celebrations charm. Truly an 3, 1913 at Coronation through a website being put together by unforgettable Cinema in , lit- the National Film Archives of . The in this Navektan classic. W Also made in English character that tle would he have real- celebrations will go beyond Indian shores was brilliantly ized that he was winding the tape for an through prestigious festivals — India has where Nobel prize winner perceived industry that would go on to be the big- already been declared the partner coun- Pearl S Buck co-wrote the gest common denominator of his coun- try at next year’s Cannes . TARANA | Dilip sahab plays a young doctor try’s identity in the decades to come. While the industry as well as popular in this 1951 classic 's Shatranj Ke Little would he have known that it would television channels that run on films ei- : | A memorable traverse every possible barrier in this ther completely or partially are yet to give and smoked role of an alcoholic essayed by Ghatak pluralist country and become what final shape to their plans, insiders are pipes and played the veteran describes beginning to feel the high that should game of kings in this Ray- as the “largest cultural amalgamation reach its crescendo in the next few directed poignant story of of India.” months. Says , “One hun- Oudh’s fall As the industry that Phalke gave birth dred years is a huge marking time and to unwittingly with his first film enters it’s a good opportunity to look at the way 's its centenary year, the country is ready the industry has evolved. One of the most Nashto Neer: , to pay an enduring tribute to the date he important changes that have taken place ’s classic on immortalized with the first public screen- in these 100 years is the way women are forbidden love, had ing of the first full-length Indian portrayed in cinema. Today, actresses get in the feature film. to portray roles of independent, working performance of a lifetime From this year onwards, the National girls, which is heartening even though Film Awards will be given away annually we have a long way to go.” on May 3, unlike in the past when it didn’t Azmi, however, rues the fact that our have any fixed date; the honours were films are beginning to tamper with “the DEEWAR | 's angry young usually done in September-October. The unique Indian identity of song and man has been an inspirational character new permanent pin on the film calendar dance routines. Indian cinema should is only a part of the celebrations that the not do away with it completely as these DEV D | Dev is a ministry of information and broadcast- make us different from the world. It’s character that ing is set to announce at the ceremony part of our DNA.” stands out in my for the 59th in Prasoon seems to be on the same 's A Flight of memory for the Delhi this May 3. A package to officially wavelength when he says, “As a song Pigeons: Benegal way it has been kickstart the centenary celebrations is writer, I think this event should reserve converted the novella into written and already in place and other projects are a special mention for songs as the country Junoon, a love story in the conceptualised likely to be added as the year progresses. wouldn’t have known what to sing on in- backdrop of 1857 revolt. “As part of the celebrations, we will numerable evenings of antakshari and Who wouldn’t die or kill NAYAKAN | The set in motion an ambitious and massive bonfires without the poets and lyricists for the young Nafisa Ali? lead role in this film project, the National Heritage Mission, who gave words to the philosophy of the was immensely powerful to digitalize and restore all audio-video common man through unforgettable Thakazhy Shivashnakar tapes of Indian films that we would be songs.” Besides the song, films have given Pillai's Chemmeen: An all- SPARSH | The character of the blind man able to lay our hands on. This is over and much more to all of us — as Joshi says, time Malayalam classic on played by is a role that above the digitization work that is al- the films have given us ways in which to the lives of fishermen and comes along maybe once in a lifetime ready taking place,” informs Uday Kumar celebrate, talk, behave, express and even the sea. Unforgettable —Meenakshi Sinha Varma, secretary, I&B ministry. He adds carry our total beings. music by Salil Choudhury that a fund of Rs 500 crore has been set Let the festivities begin.

COOKS & CONDUCTORS Before they were stars And these, dear listeners, are BADDIES & BABES Why we love our villains and vamps

AKSHAY KUMAR | | Catching some of our sweetest songs | | For being Waiter, cook, mar- bullets by the teeth, For his perfect Indian cinema's Best patriotic song | Aao ki talash hai (Barsaat ki Raat, tial arts instruc- flipping cigarettes and rendition of the golden girl, who bachchon tumhe dikhaen 1960) tor...Khiladi Kumar lighting them in mid-air megalomaniac danced her way into jhaanki Hindustan ki (Jagriti, has tried his hand while beating up goons Best cabaret | Monica o my Mogambo in Mr our collective 1954) at multiple profes- and outrunning trains darling (Caravan, 1970) India. Not just consciousness with a sions are just a few of the Best cynical number | Jinhe him, even we sensuousness that has Best classical number | Laga wonders he can naaz hai Hind par woh kahan were happy. been difficult to chunri mein daag (Dil Hi to DEV ANAND | During perform today... hain (Pyaasa, 1957) India khush hua! replicate. Item girls, Hai, 1963) World War II, the but before he keep on trying! Best bhajan | Man evergreen hero had a job became 'God' Best sharabi song | tarpat hari darshan at the Military Censor's to millions, Yeh kya hua, kaise | For putting 'life' into each of ko aaj (Baiju Office in Bombay, Rajini was a hua, kab hua his characters and effortlessly Bawra, 1952) reading soldiers' letters simple bus (, transiting from villainous roles to that conductor Best bouyant 1972) of characters with heart of gold, like The the unforgettable Sher Khan of Zanjeer | in number | Best folk easy drawl and the Yahoo, chahe number | mannerisms were koi mujhe Chalat musafir | For probably perfected | junglee kahe moh liyo re being Mona during 'Jaani' Kumar's With her emotive (Junglee, 1961) pinjre wali muniya darling, the stint with the Bombay face and strong diction skills, she Best item number | (Teesri Kasam, 1966) moll that has police in the 1940s become almost was a hit on the Munni badnam hui Best comic song | All izz a metamphor | The small screen as darling tere liye (, well (Three Idiots, 2009) well, working for 2010) for female man who could send Best song by a non-singer a number of sidekicks in shivers down your spine Best children's song | Lakdi ki actor | Mere paas aao mere years as a cinema with his lopsided grin kathi, kathi pe ghoda, ghode doston (Mr Natwarlal, 1979) and trademark dialogue newsreader on ki dum pe jo maara hathoda Best ode to nation | Mere delivery style, was Doordarshan in (Masoom, 1983) working with The Times the 1970s ki dharti sona ugle AJIT | Sara shahar inhe loin ke naam of India till the late 1960s Best qawwali | Na to carvaan (, 1967) se janta hai. Need we say more? Little cinema begins to dream big Kings of the provinces Indian regional cinema has its own superstars A new breed of film- Byari (2011) A lot of interesting M G Ramachandran (Tamil) A megastar in the makers is combining work is happening world of Tamil films as well as politics. MGR through cinema made his film debut in 1936 with Sathi the ease of beyond and Leelavathi and rose to superstardom with the blockbuster Malaikallan. His other films technology and the powerful regional centres. included Anbe Vaa, Aayirathil Oruvan, There is however, also a Mahadevi, Panam Padaithavan etc. His eagerness of art to tendency to ape Bollywood. dressing style was inimitable — trademark fur cap and dark glasses. In politics too, he tell some amazingly Utpal Borpujari | FILM CRITIC developed his own style that was a hit with the masses, who voted him to power again and untold stories again, making him the first popular Indian strong medium of cinema to grassroots. actor, who rose to become chief minister. He , the Chhattisgarhi megastar Archana Khare Ghose | TNN The best thing about technology is that was posthumously awarded the . and (below left) N T Rao nobody can own it and those who under- hances are that most Indians stand the power of cinema are putting N T Rama Rao (Telugu) Like MGR, NTR was also (Malayalam) Starting out as a villain, didn’t know what Byari was the two together to good use.” a superstar, who rose to become chief minister Mohanlal is regarded by many as the giant of Ctill a film of the same name community to express itself,” says Utpal While these are relatively the more Problems, though, remain in the of Andhra Pradesh. He gained popularity for his , who displays his range by was recently announced joint Borpujari, the 2003 National Award win- visible ethnic and linguistic groups form of accessibility. But zealous film- portrayals of Hindu deities, especially doing both comic and serious roles with equal winner in the Best Film category at ner for Best Film Critic. And Byari is within the minority, films are being makers almost always find a way out. and Rama. With a career spanning more than ease. Besides acting, Mohanlal has also the 59th National Film Awards. Cour- but a recent link in a long chain of films made even in languages with almost the While Ladakhi filmmakers are doing a 320 Telugu films, he forged another successful dabbled in several business ventures like tesy the award, most of us now know of and by the smaller communities of same status as Byari in the mainstream successful job through mobile theatres, career in politics, although his terms as chief setting up a seafood export company and a about this language — without a script India that have told stories of people mindframe. Borpujari cites examples of most others target global audience minister were often tumultuous. restaurant in called 's Tastebuds. of its own — of the Byari people of with strong cultural ethos Monpa language of Aru- through cyberspace for minimum re- south Karnataka. of their own, as against nachal Pradesh and the turns. Quite a few others skip the route Anuj Sharma (Chhattisgarhi) Once a marketing But the importance of Byari is mainstream philosophy. REGIONAL Kokborok language of of theatres and release films directly on executive of Godrej, Anuj found stardom when more than just being the first film Beginning with the first Tripura in which films videos/ CDs. What ensures continued Mor Chhaiyan Bhuiyan became a blockbuster. made in the language, or being the first Bhojpuri film in 1962, Gan- REPORT have been made. production of films in the far-flung pock- Since then, the 36-year-old post-graduate in in that language to win the prestigious ga Maiya Tohe Piyari Chad- “A lot of interesting work ets of India is the strong urge to make history has delivered several hits such as Maya. national award. Its importance is in haibo, little cinema has taken birth, and is happening through cinema beyond films. KP Suveeran, the director of its symbolism — a perfect reference struck roots in the unlikeliest of India’s Bollywood and powerful regional cen- Byari, says, “Though I ’t intend to Dinesh Lal Yadav ‘Nirahua’ (Bhojpuri) A long, point to measure the distance traveled remote corners. For instance, the first tres. There is, however, also a tendency make any more Byari films, the young luscious kiss in Nirahua Rickshawala vaulted by Indian cinema since April 21, 1913, Chhattisgarhi film, Kahi Debe Sandesh, to ape Bollywood,” says Borpujari. people of the community who assisted singer-actor Dinesh Lal Yadav ‘Nirahua’ to when the first Indian film, Raja was made by Manu Nayak in 1965, 35 What has helped these marginal film- me are very enthused. They will carry superstar status. Since then, the -born Harishchandra, had premiered. years before the region attained state- makers is technology that has reduced the work forward in that language.” son of a factory worker has delivered a cache “It is a comment on how strong the hood. The successful Manipuri cinema, the cost of production. National Award And we will continue to learn about of hits notably Nirahua Chalal Sasural and medium of cinema is, and also the most on the other hand, sees the production winning Assamese filmmaker Jahnu more unknown and unheard of stories Lagal Raha Ae Raja Ji. accessible, the world over, for any small of nearly 40 films each year. Barua says, “Technology has taken the through cinema.