No matter how much we love or hate stars, we cannot ignore them, as they are the last mile connect between the entire team of film-making and the audience. So, when someone talks about stars affecting the content, it doesn’t hold water, as it is bound to happen. Audience liking someone and then identifying with them or expecting something from them is acommon phenomenon. The same applies to actors in mainstream cinema and parallel cinema, and even crew members like Director, DOP etc…as end of the day the repeat value or future consumption of content is based on expectation.
I picked up the TV series ‘Deadwood’ because of Timothy Olyphant, after I watched ‘Justified’. And I wasn’t disappointed.
‘Deadwood’ is set in the 1870s in Deadwood, South Dakota, before and after the area’s annexation by the Dakota Territory, and charts Deadwood’s growth from camp to town. The series kicks off with Al Swearengen (Ian McShane) maintaining a strangle hold on the camp and how things change when Seth Bullock (Timothy Olyphant) and Sol Star (John Hawks ), who are both ex-lawmen, come to set up their hardware shop.
The series sports many interesting characters (portrayed by an eclectic cast), who with all their flaws drawn towards each other with a single desire—a control of their future/destiny. Falling under Drama/Action genre, the series holds sway over the audience with a complete mastery on all crafts.
Deadwood movie that comes after a decade after the initial three seasons are aired, is also a terrific watch.
In the Episode 7 of the web series—Rocket Boys—there is a beautiful interview scene between the characters of Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam and Dr.Vikram Sarabhai. My first reaction after watching the series completely (ends with Episode 8), was to pick up my copy of Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam’s autobiography—Wings of Fire—and look for a reference to this in his book.
Rocket Boys does two things for you. First and foremost it creates an element of curiosity to dig deep into the real life of the lead characters. Second, it makes us acknowledge the scientific sprit of India and cheer its successes. This is a feat not many can match, in the recent times.
“Rocket Boys” is a brilliantly made web series that dramatises the space and atomic revolution in India. It primarily deals with the overlap of the lives of Dr.Homi J. Bhabha and Dr.Vikram Sarabhai, with the hero in wings, Dr.APJ Kalam, making his entrance and his presence felt. It stands out in all crafts, especially in writing and production design department, with the lead actors, casting a spell on the audience. The subject matter so Indian yet has the potential to woo audiences all over the world. Wonder why Sony Liv is still not available abroad, especially in USA.
Tail piece: Did I find a reference to the interview in ‘Wings of Fire’. No. Does it matter? No. Do I wish it were true? Yes. Is Rocket Boys a must watch? Yes 🙂
My interest got piqued when I saw the news that Bandla Ganesh would reprise the character in a Telugu remake, that veteran Tamil actor Parthiepan played in the original film ‘Oththa Seruppu Size 7’(Single Slipper Size 7). Interestingly a Hindi remake is on floors now, with Abhishek Bachchan playing the same role. Anything that Bandla Ganesh does is synonymous with controversy, so I wondered what ‘Oththa Seruppu Size 7’ had in store for me, when I tuned into Netflix. And I was pleasantly surprised.
‘Oththa
Seruppu Size 7’ is a remarkable feat that features only one character. The film
narrates the story of an ordinary person (Masilamani) who is taken into custody as a
murder suspect, and his subsequent interrogation, that reveals shocking
secrets. As skeletons from the closet start tumbling down, the police try to
make a sense of it all, with just one clue—a single slipper of size 7. What
makes it even more difficult for the police, is the attitude of Masilamani that poses some serious questions
about his sanity. As he vacillates from narrating the actual happenings to
ruminating aloud, from pedestrian comments to relevant statements about the
crime…the investigating team attempt to sieve the truth from his ramblings. Parthiepan, as he is credited in the beginning of the movie, ‘crafts’
a tale that is unique in its presentation with a brilliant sound design from
the Oscar winner Rasool Pookutty. ‘Oththa Seruppu Size 7’ is an engaging watch and
kudos to the veteran for putting this feature together.
There is a
terrific short story from the master writer Edgar Allan Poe called ‘The
Tell-Tale Heart’ published in 1843. It is a first person narrative that tries
to convince the reader of the narrator’s sanity and parallely describing a
murder the narrator might have committed. As the story progresses, the narrator reveals the meticulous planning and execution of the
murder.Ultimately, the narrator’s actions result in hearing a
thumping sound, which the narrator interprets as the dead man’s beating heart
and this troubled mental state reveals the truth to the police and audience.
I always
wondered how anyone could make this kind of story engaging enough to the
audience. Parthiepan shows it how, with his top notch handling of all crafts.
Senior comedy
actor Asrani once said, his dream was to play a psychotic person, a total
contrast to his popular roles like the ‘angrezoki zamane ki jailer’ from ‘Sholay’.
Same with other comedy actors like Brahmanandam who aspire to tread different
path by playing a mentally challenged person. Good actors can play any kind of
roles and actively go after them. Their acting caliber enables them to
transcend their successful genre, like the great Charlie Chaplin did with his
shift from comedy to drama and tragedy.
Can Bandla
Ganesh join that league? Seems like a deadly chasm to cross, considering the
work he has done so far. But as the movie parlance goes, anything is possible
in the industry, especially the impossible. All it takes is one super hit.
