SUNDAY, MARCH 19, 2017 (PAGE 4)

MOVIE-REVIEW HERITAGE Royals and Ruins Not much about Machine Aruditya Jasrotia Eberhard Fischer have written a book “Nainsukh of A concerted effort to preserve our heritage is a Guler: A Great Indian Painter from a Small Hill-State”. MACHINE is essentially a love story (written which mars the film in a big way. The film’s screenplay This book glorifies the importance and magnificence of by Sanjeev Kaul) which happens amidst the does not offer anything new and lands up following the vital link to our cultural legacies and it literally the Nainsukh painting style. same path which had been adopted by many films till date. At this time hardly anyone goes to see the beautiful greed for money and mysterious circum- makes us who we are. People tend to believe The weak script also lands up making the film all style and that to be modern you have to disengage from fort which is holding a number of beautiful artworks on stances. The film starts off in picturesque no substance. There’s no denying the fact that the film’s its walls. The condition of the fort is pitiful and brings the North India, with the introduction of the writing could have been notches higher. The film’s dia- your heritage, but it’s not true. feeling of hollowness to the visitors. The walls are falling logues besides being devoid of one liners, are very average one by one, roofs have collapsed, vegetation has taken extremely helpful Saira Thapar (Kiara One of the important heritages of Jammu which is and fail to leave an impression. A few lines do come across waiting to be explored and preserved is Jasrota Fort. over almost all of the fort and it is in shambles. The dete- Advani). as corny. The comic in the films seems totally thrusted. Jasrota is a place, situated just 10 kilometre away from riorating condition of the Jasrota fort has exposed the After having directed thrillers like BAAZIGAR, RACE, true approach of the tourism department towards the This is followed by the ‘racy’ introduction of Ranch the National High way Rajbag, Kathua, in the Shivalik RACE 2, the director duo of Abbas-Mustan changed gears upliftment of the spot while it has been claimed many (Mustafa Burmawalla), who is smitten by Saira at first Hills of the Western Himalayas. It was the capital of the with their last film KIS KISKO PYAAR KAROON, which times by the tourism department that they are investing sight. This is followed by a car race, which is won by the Jasrotia Rajputs. It was founded by Jas was a rom-com. This time round, with MACHINE, Abbas- dashing Ranch, who doesn’t believe in the concept of ‘using Dev, a ruler of the Royal House of Jammu Mustan are back to what they are doing best - directing brakes’, which forms his secret to success. Saira, who is and Kashmir, who gave it to his brother, thrillers. Everyone knows that a typical Abbas-Mustan extremely famous and immensely likeable amongst her Karan. Jasrota was one of ten states found- friends, starts getting mysterious gifts from a secret admir- film is eagerly awaited because of its stylish presence, ed by members of the Dogra dynasty. er. And while Saira expects her secret admirer to be the thrills, unexpected twists as well as the suspense. Stories tell that Karan Dev was a son of adorable Ranch, it turns out that it was her best friend Raj. MACHINE does see the trademark film making style of Bhujdev, a ruler of Jammu, and that the And when Raj steps ahead to tell his feelings to Saira, he Abbas-Mustan, but, the average storyline plays the spoil- state came into existence in either the 12th is hit by a speeding car, which kills him immediately, along sport. The proceedings of the film’s first half is slow as it or early 13th century. There is an agree- with yet another friend from the gang who incidentally is is entirely devoted to the typical routine boy-meets-girl ment that Karan Dev was the founder of the also in love with Saira. An extremely disturbed Saira not romance, which is followed by their marriage. The ‘actu- ruling Jasrotia family. Ajab Dev was ruler only finds solace in Ranch, but she also eventually gets al’ story of the film begins from the point of interval. As of Jasrota between 1790-1800. He married to him. This is immediately followed Ranch reach- the film proceeds, one just cannot help but draw compar- arranged the construction of Jasmergarh ing Georgia to take part in a most prestigious car racing isons between MACHINE and Abbas-Mustan’s earlier film Fort (near to the present-day town of championship. It is here where he falls madly in love with BAAZIGAR. The film’s second half sees unexpected twists Hiranagar, then on the border of his terri- Serena Altar (Carla Ruth Dennis). Ranch, then, meets up and turns, which ‘accelerates’ the pace of the film. Because tories) in order to protect Jasrota from with Serena’s father Kriss Altar (Dalip Tahil) and asks for of the fact that the film’s climax is extremely long-drawn, invadors. The last member of the Dev his daughter’s hand in marriage. Does Ranch have a mys- it fails to touch the hearts. In movies where the mainstay dynasty to rule Jasrota independently was terious past and is his life more than what meets the eye are the twists, thrill and suspense, it requires a simplified Randhir Singh, who reigned from 1805 to is what forms the rest of the film. way of narration and less confusion. However, despite hav- 1820. Although Randhir Singh's brother, When MACHINE’s promos were ing all the elements of a thriller, MACHINE starts moving Bhuri Singh, was nominally recognised as released, it did not create the kind around in circles and gets confusing. his successor, Ranjit Singh annexed the of impact and impression that As for the performances, the film is completely tailor territory in 1834 and converted it into a one generally would associate made for the debutante Mustafa Burmawalla. The film jagir that was gifted to Hira Singh, a son of with an Abbas-Mustan film. acts as a complete platform (read ‘dream platform’) to dis- Dhian Singh, the Dogra Prime Minister of Without beating around the play all his skills. The sad part, however, is that, despite Lahore, who was also a nephew of Gulab bush, one can say that it’s coming from the famous Abbas-Mustan’s lineage, Singh. the film’s extremely Mustafa Burmawalla (visibly) struggles in It is not the honour that you take with weak MACHINE. Mustafa, who is decent at places, does you, but the heritage you leave behind. screen- have lots of raw edges which require polishing. Hira Singh contributed enormously in sav- play ing the art and traditions of that time and These areas include his dialogue delivery and lakhs of rupees in order to save this fort. Jasrota is wide- while handling emotional scenes. Even though because of his efforts the art and architecture flourished during his rule. It was Hira Singh who built the present ly famous for its natural scenic beauty which has huge his performance looks sincere enough for his existing tourism potential which needs to be tapped prop- character, the flip side is that, it fails to look fort at Jasrota, although its foundations date from around the 12th or 13th century. Hira Singh resurrected a con- erly. While having the enormous tourism potential the convincing. The film gives him ample Jasrota fort has been ignored in tourism upliftment by opportunity to showcase every possible nection with art. In building palaces of architectural splendour within the fort walls, he brought in painters to the government. ‘heroic’ skill. He definitely has a long The condition of this fort is very distressing and dis- way to go before he makes it big in Bol- ornately decorate them. Jasrota had been particularly associated with the Dogra school of painting during the turbing. The locals say that the department is fully aware lywood. On the other hand, the 2-film about the condition of the Jasrota Fort, but no action will old Kiara Advani (who was last seen in M. reigns of Bhupal Dev, Sukh Dev and Dhruv Dev, which began in the late 17th century and ended in 1735. Charak be taken by the authority. Number of articles and S. DHONI: THE UNTOLD STORY), has a and Billawari say that "The great miniature tradition in columns have been written about the condition of the fort strong author backed role. She shows immense the hills owes much to Jasrota", noting in particular the but the locals are still waiting for the government to step promise and utmost potential as an actress. She patronage of the family of the painter Nainsukh by Raja in and help them in saving this heritage. The Jasrota fort turns out to be the surprise element of the film. Balwant Singh and also the ongoing attendance at the and its architecture are fighting against time and it’s not With a right combination of good looks and talent, royal court at Jammu, where Jasrota rulers sometimes too late to save the heritage which holds an important she is simply raring to go with this film. Ronit Roy, served as diwans and would have been influence by its spot in the history of Jammu. It’s the need of the hour to who is at his menacing best, is excellent in the film. culture. The Nainsukh painitng style is a fascinating art preserve our heritage, otherwise we will only have stories Johnny Lever’s track seems totally out of place and which has attracted attention from both the scholars and to tell but nothing to show to our coming generations forced in the film and could have been avoided. Vet- researchers from time to time. Dr. B.N. Goswamy and regarding our history. eran actors like Dalip Tahil and Sharat Saxena have nothing much to do. Even the actors who play the friends of Mustafa and Kiara deserved better HEALTHLINES names and better talents. Courtesy :www.bollywoodhungama.com. PERSONALITY Cancer in women “I am more greedy than ambitious”

to release commercially. After this, I have decided to make a film on female foeticide. What is Kanchivaram about? The story is a period film set against the backdrop of 1948. It deals with the oppression and exploitation of silk weavers who are masters at their craft but cannot afford to buy even a piece of silk for their daughter’s wedding or funeral. How a silk weaver, buried under poverty rises against this and moti- vates his peers to rebel against exploitation is what the film is about. Sila Samayangalil is getting rave reviews from critics across the country. What’s the story about? Sila Samayangalil is about AIDS and the stigma surround- ing it. AIDS is an uninteresting subject. You can at best make a documentary about it which few will watch. The challenge was to turn a dry subject into a thriller with a bit of comedy. A thriller gets through to people, which in turn, raises aware- ness. It is not just about sending a message, we have SMSes or social networking sites to do that. The film plays more on the fear of being diagnosed as HIV+ than on HIV+ victims themselves. How did you structure the film? The film follows a group of people as they await the results of their Elisa tests that would reveal whether they are HIV+ or not. They have very different reasons for believing For a man who began writing his first script that they might be HIV+. I have not repeated a single shot in at 19 and directed his first film when he the film and it took all of my 36 years of experience to be able to do this. Sila Samayangalil translates to “Sometimes” and Dr Sandeep Kaul bleeding usually in an obese elderly female. The sad common was 22, filmmaker Priyadarshan never denominator in all these cancers is that they can all be diag- the bottom line is how sometimes life may take a different Cancer is a dreaded disease, and rightly so because hither- nosed early with minimal effort and cured by surgery. ceases to surprise with his durability. track which could change one’s entire life in just a few sec- to treatment was vague and patients were generally doomed How is cancer treated? onds. The entire film, except for the opening, is set inside the to die of it. Advances in surgical technique and adjuvant treat- He also takes ‘brief breaks’ into what he Once a patient is suspected of having symptoms of cancer, waiting room of a pathological lab where the characters ment have now made cancer a treatable and possibly curable terms as ‘socially conscious’ cinema. assemble and wait for the results to come in. a general evaluation followed by a staging workup including disease in early stages. Women suffer nearly half the burden a tissue biopsy is done. Once the diagnosis has been con- The prolific director in conversation with The film is yet to be released but is on an award- of cancer even though they are not pre-disposed to the con- winning spree across festivals. How do you react to firmed, treatment options are discussed and if possible an Shoma A. Chatterji on his yet to be ventional causative factors like tobacco and alcohol. The appropriate radical surgery is planned. Radical surgery for awards? causal factors in women are generally age, lifestyle,heredi- released films like Sila Samayangalil Being awarded for a film is an honour. It is an accredita- cancer is the only curative treatment modality for solid organ tary, infections and environmental factors. Social factors, cancers. Radical cancer surgeries require a centre where which is about AIDS and the stigma tion to the sustained efforts, passion and commitment. The especially inequalities, are major determinants of cancer bur- surrounding it. amalgamation of the best of the talent combined with belief trained surgical oncologist interact with their medical and den in females, with poorer females more radiation oncology colleagues and on our respective works gives us this honour. The film won likely to die of their disease than affluent Priyadarshan has made, till now, 91 feature films in have adequate post -operative ICU the “Green Rose Award” and the “Yellow Rose Award” apart ones.Cancer can have profound social and from the award for the ‘Best Film from Asian continent’ cat- Women suffer nearly care to obtain best results. The first Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, many of them box economic consequences for the people of egory. It also bagged the Jury Award for Best Film at the half the burden of attempt at treatment is generally the office hits with repeat value. He also makes commercials. He India, often leading to family impoverish- Chennai International Film Festival. I would love to dedicate best chance of cure as recurrence is has established himself as one of the most successful direc- ment and societal inequality. cancer even though they these awards to that great maestro of music, Ilyayaraja, the resistant to most forms of treatment. tors of mainstream cinema across languages and regions. Common cancers and their screening are not pre-disposed DOP Sameer Thajir, art director Sabu Cyril, editor Beena After surgery the patients are fol- Excerpts from an interview: Females generally postpone their first Paol, Vijay who wrote the dialogue and the entire crew who to the conventional lowed up by designated protocol You decided to break into socially conscious cine- contact with a health facility, leading to a have acted in Sila Samayangalil. and undergo adjuvant therapy ma with a trilogy recently. Would you elaborate? delayed diagnosis in an advanced stage. causative factors like What about the commercial risks you took with (chemotherapy, radiotherapy, tar- There are films you do because you are passionate. Then Unfortunately, the four most common can- tobacco and alcohol. these two films? geted therapy) as needed. there are films you make because you are greedy. I am greedy cers afflicting females can be screened and I didn’t care about commercial risks when I made these The causal factors in Role of women in cancer pre- diagnosed at an early stage. Firstly, Breast so I make films that fit into the entertainment category the two films. Nor did I care about what people thought or would women are generally vention cancer, can be screened by monthly self- mass audience loves to watch. But I also want to feed the think of Kanchivaram or Sila Samayangalil. Commercial age, lifestyle,hereditary, Women have a central role in director in me, and not just make a film to fill my pocket. I films have a way of straitjacketing you because you are con- breast examination, annual clinical exami- the fight against cancer, not only am a man who understands and enjoys both kinds of cinema. stantly trying to speed up every moment, over-explaining nation and mammograms after the age of 50 infections and environ- can they encourage their family My mind yearns for appreciation too. I want recognition every little thing. Art films give you the freedom you cannot years. Second, cervical cancer, a sexually mental factors. members to change to a healthy from all quarters. get while making commercial films. When Kanchivaram won active female should undergo a pap smear lifestyle (abstinence from smok- Did this motivate you to make the trilogy? two National Awards and Shyam Benegal happened to watch every three years from the age of 21 years ing/alcohol, healthier food habits, exer- Yes, I decided to make a trilogy of socially conscious cin- the film, he, and many other in the audience asked whether and co-testing with HPV after the age of 30 years. Third, cise) leading to cancer prevention, they can also be an obser- ema. The first was Kanchivaram (2007) which bagged the the director was the same guy who made Hera Pheri? This is ovarian cancer, can be diagnosed by having a high clinical vant family member who encourages an early medical consul- Best Film Award and the Best Actor Award at the 55th what I call straitjacketing filmmakers. I want to come out of index of suspicion in a female presenting with vague abdomi- tation for a possible cancer symptom leading to early detec- National Film Awards. The film also brought me the Zenith this. And as I have repeated several times before, I would nal symptoms, early satiety and a timely investigation by tion and cure. We must therefore, empower women with Asia Award for Best Director. Sila Samayangalil love to cross the borders and make a film in Hollywood. I am tumour markers and an ultrasound examination. Fourth, uter- knowledge and use them as our sentinels in the war on cancer. (Sometimes) is the second which is bagging awards but is yet more greedy than ambitious. (TWF) ine cancer, presents as inter-menstrual or postmenopausal (The author is a surgical oncologist at SMVD Narayana Hospital, Kakriyal)