Best Breakthrough Director
This year alone has
proven one thing, it is new and rookie filmmakers that are pushing the
envelope on India's filmmaking, as is
apt for the future.
Of the ten films
nominated for best picture this year in both categories, five of the filmmakers
are near newbies looking to leave their own stamp. Two of the others are
filmmakers who've already experienced their own breakthroughs.
It's a showcase that
undoubtedly paints a picture of a hopeful future despite what can be considered
a disappointing year of films in comparison to the rest of this past decade.
Even then these filmmakers are a terrific
bunch and some others more, here are honourable mentions and a bit more:
Raja Krishna Menon
for Airlift-Despite some pitfalls, Menon's Airlift is made engaging by his
ability to hold attention to a scene and create both intense thrills as well as
purely melodramatic moments that resonate, nearly saving the film from
mediocrity.
Soumendra Padhi for
Budhia Singh Born to Run-Though his budget seems curbed to the point of making
the film nearly ineffective , Padhi's greatest moment comes when he extracts a
fine performance from his young star and stages the big running scene with such
precision; the balance of the questions raised creates a scary ambiguity with
the film [elaborated later in the screenplay award]
Anirudha Roy
Chowdary for Pink-He tries, but the inconsistent tone with which Roy crafts
Pink is what lets the film down despite some well created moments of tension.
And now these are
the nominees...
Anu Menon for Waiting
The simplicity with
which Anu Menon makes Waiting speaks volumes to her understanding of her craft,
she knows the sad yet not necessarily grand dramatic movie requires no frills.
Instead her simple
staging of scenes and mounting of the production, allows for a film that lets
its strong script do the talking.
The direction makes
an art out of the easy, as Menon lets her characters the space and her actors
the moment to build the films hopeful yet equally saddening climax.
It's the kind of
work that is both artistic and accessible.
Ali Abbas Zafar for Sultan
Ali Abbas's moment
is finally here, after multiple attempts at making the right film yet failing
he cracks the mainstream formula and presents us with an exciting underdog
sports tale centred around a finely detailed love story; barring the stupid
short changing of Arfa's character.
It is in the second
half however that Zafar proves to make the kind of film that many have failed
to create; he crafts absolute stunning MMA sequences that not only feel
authentic [something the Warrior remake Brothers failed to do] but also have a
grit and brawn to them that just throw you off the edge of the seat.
But more importantly
let us go to the fact that Zafar does what most in a decade or so have failed
to do and bring forth a performance out of Salman Khan.
Ashwini Iyer Tiwari for Nil Battey Sanata
By making the same
movie in different languages in one year, Ashwini Iyer Tiwari proved she isn't
a one trick pony. She absolutely killed it in not only leaving her own stamp on
her cinematic pieces but adding a distinct flavour to both the above mentioned
film and its remake; Amma Kannaku.
With Nil Battey Sanata Tiwari proves to
understand the semantics of crafting an emotional piece and letting the details
of the film breath and speak in order to build character.
The devil is in the
details and the visual richness in Nil Battey Sanata makes the world such a
breezy place to be in that the touching story makes you laugh and touches you
in equal parts.
Ram Madhvani for Neerja
It might have taken
a decade long for Madhvani to finally make his second film, but it was well
worth the wait.
With Neejra not only
does Ram Madhvani build dramatic moment upon dramatic moment to pay off with a
tear inducing climax that realizes the importance of character building in
helping make a justifiable melodrama, he also makes it unbelievably tight.
A taut thriller that
keeps the viewer on his feet and rooting for its underdog protagonist.
Despite the expected
tragic fate of the protagonist, for a moment and more Madhvani immerses you in
the tense situation such that one forgets and roots for her victory and then
tears your heart apart with absolute brilliance. It's equal parts tragic and hopeful.
Pavan Kirpalani for Phobia
For a man that has
made two absolutely ballsy but eventually terrible horror movies, the question
was whether Radhika Apte had made a bad choice with Phobia.
That was never meant
to be, as not only does Kirpalani use his horror expertise to make a tense
moody piece but also trains his focus on Apte such that she comes up with one
of the finest performances of the year.
As a filmmaker
overall, Kirpalani keeps the viewer in a vice grip by building an absolutely
haunting atmosphere with the smallest of devices and adds such unbelievable
depth to the detail in each moment.
It teaches you about
the very things on rape and consent that films these days seems to be to overt
and ignorant with, it never simplifies the morally and emotionally complex
situation and that is all Kripalani's insight making it happen.
Leena Yadav for Parched
Prior to Parched,
Leena Yadav made two films that were smartly and stylishly directed but are
left vapid because they come off as commissioned projects yet passionate works
of art.
It's not a knock on
Yadav whose still growing directorial skills showed flash, but with the right
narrative and game team; Yadav leads her flashy work to some fizzle in building
a film that is haunting and insightful in regards to its understanding of societal
judgement, the hypocrisies between genders and the flight of liberation.
Intoxicating with an
authentic milieu and using space with an astute understanding, Leena Yadav
makes an unbelievably poignant and profound film that will stand the test of
time, make a statement on the atrocities of patriarchy but never feel like a
forced lesson just a cinematic masterpiece.
Shefali Bhushan for Jugni
Taking from
experience and building on her musical passion, Shefali Bhushan makes a movie
that is rife with a plethora of tonal shifts that are smooth and moving.
The showcase of the
film is her romantic leads duets, music oozes from the film and that passions
builds into a romance that is as aptly pure and simple as should be for the
movie to be touching and worth it despite a tepid second half.
Heart warming in its
reverence of music and musicians, Shefali Bhushan's Jugni is a lyrical piece
that will touch and break hearts in equal measure.
And the winner is...
Pavan Kirpalani for Phobia!!!
With this win Phobia soars high towards the best picture trophy, can the others catch up.
Up Next: Not one actor, or star, this is not half the performances but the whole cast...Best Ensemble Cast!!!
'Nuff Said,
Aneesh Raikundalia
No comments:
Post a Comment