Best Director
Motion Picture
Once again what this
year excessively and exclusively proved is that new filmmakers around India are
gathering a storm in providing exciting ideas and content.
[This bears well for
someone like me looking towards the future]
Even directors on
this top five list are barely breakthroughs themselves where as others are or
have reinvented themselves within this decade after huge lull periods, crawling
out the woodwork.
It's a showcase that
despite of pitfalls, content is slowly conquering the Hindi film industry and
that filmmakers are truly becoming the masters of their own ship.
Let us discuss our
nominees for a moment;
Nagesh Kukunoor for
Dhanak-After toiling with years of uneven films since his relatively stronger
earlier success, Kukunoor is back in the game with Dhanak, his first nomination
of hopefully many.
Abhishek
Chaubey-Nominated in 2015 for his sublime work in Dedh Ishqiya, Chaubey is once
again at the helm with the controversial Udta Punjab
Had there been a
breakthrough director nominee ballot in 2015; Nitesh Tiwari would have been up
there for his work in Bhoothnath Returns, so he's here now.
Hansal Mehta is a
former nominee for the 1st Official HIndie Awards for Shahid, is his second
time round lucky?
Finally Shakun Batra
would have broken through in 2013 for his efforts with the genuine Ek Mai aur
Ekk Tu.
As for the past
winners, let's see what got them to the ball...
Vikramaditya Motwane
for Lootera, 2014
Vishal Bhardwaj for
Haider, 2015
Meghna Gulzar for Talvar, 2016
The first was an
adaptation of an O Henry short into a soothing romantic ballad mixed with a
heady sense of history. The second win was for another cinematic gem based upon
Shakespeare's works with a moving political commentary on the Kashmir
situation. The last inspired by true event turns out to be a sharp and smart
examination on the CBI and the judicial system as well as the advent of media
trials packaged in an interesting story straddled by an intriguing protagonist.
So whose year is it
this round, we already know whose it isn't...
Gauri Shinde for
Dear Zindagi-She just barely misses the cut with another smartly directed film
that is possibly relayed from experience allowing for a breezy yet intimate
portrayal.
Anurag Kashyap for
Raman Raghav 2.0-Kashyap could at this point direct a low budget grungy and
disturbing film in his sleep, possibly making it easier to take him for granted
despite what he makes is a terrifying picture with some interesting dynamics between
the protagonists and a cocktail of subtext to boot.
And now onto the
nominees...
Nagesh Kukunoor for Dhanak
What a comeback for
Kukunoor.
Despite Dor and
Iqbal being his finest films, some might forget that Kukunoor is a stellar
director of children and childrens films, crafting the cult classic Rockford.
In Dhanak he
formulates a fantasy like narrative of a journey built on hope when young Pari
decides she will take her blind brother Chotu to Shah Rukh Khan [her favourite
superstar] who can help restore his eyesight. The film isn't necessarily based
on a child's baseless fantasy, rather she sees a poster of Khan's drive to
provide eye operations for those who were blinded not by birth but otherwise.
It is these fine
tuned details that ground the film and play up to the intelligence and wonders
of these two children while also retaining their honest to goodness naivety.
This comes to fore through their journey for example when Chotu and Pari meet a
wandering hippie singing English songs and inadvertently ends up insulting the
prideful Chotu when he cannot sing in English; Chotu instead belts out a smooth
rendition of 'Duma Dum Mast Kalandar' to the travellers surprise, there are
threats abound including child kidnappers and then there are even blind seers
who understand more than just seeing.
It's a rich journey
made all the sweet by the small things and cinematic flourishes, including the
small things that are the lead younglings; stirred to fine and mature
performances by an alert filmmaker.
Abhishek Chaubey for Udta Punjab
On paper Udta Punjab
might seem a bit preachy in its agenda, sketchy with characters and most
importantly convenient in its plot beats; but that's when a fine filmmaker like
Chaubey proves his unrelenting mettle.
He makes this agenda
and exciting and ironically intoxicating, dreary looks see into the rapidly
deteriorating effects on not just the people but Punjab. With sketchy
characters he fleshes out a harsh morality play that comes to terms with those
deserving to suffer and eventually enhancing their arc towards an eventual ray
of hope, he also flourishes by bringing together one of the strongest ensembles
this decade and extracts some sublime performances. Finally the convenient plot
beats, the easy moments where our protagonists meet and more importantly their
reconciliations with their demons are cinematically stitched together with an
aware form of editing that crafts an ethereal link between them especially the
lead protagonists.
With Udta Punjab,
the hype may be too much to live up to but what Chaubey does is craft another
fine piece that utilizes some smart elements of comedy, builds a new angle of
as well as enhances [upon a cinematic notion of] Punjab that you are instantly
immersed in it.
The man is Vishal
Bhardwaj's protégé and one can see why.
Nitesh Tiwari for Dangal
Notice how Dangal is
nowhere near the Best Picture nominees and you'll see a films screenplay that
squanders the narratives potential.
Then watch the film
and realize as you literally hit the edge of your seat, every single time the
fight sequences come into play. Why is that?
Two word; Nitesh
Tiwari.
With Dangal, Tiwari
proves his prowess on a whole other level. His masterpiece is of course the
blisteringly crafted wrestling sequences which in an inspired moment are
crafted whole unlike most sports films that would look to make montages of it.
Speaking of which,
Tiwari well aware of the rustic elements that embody small town India directs
the songs with a smart balance between the new age and classic mainstream
especially aware of his little characters, thus giving us a childish desi
rendition of the sports training montage with the delightful Haanikarak Bapu
and its complementary Dhakad Girls.
As for the actual
Dhakad Girls, whether their young raw performers or the elder sparkling
debutantes, Tiwari plays well to their strengths having experience with young
performers from his past films, forcing them to match up to the rigorous
sequences and the staggeringly powerful Aamir Khan.
Returning back to
the wrestling, consider the sequence between a seething and newly arrogant
Geeta [Sheikh] and hurt but stubborn Mahavir [Khan], Tiwari packs this with
everything the film is about and the dynamics and conflicts explode on screen
in one of the finest scenes of the year.
Mind you in a film
crafted with possibly the finest first half of the year because Nitesh Tiwari
is the true champion of the Dangal.
Hansal Mehta for Aligarh
Sensitivity has been
the key to Hansal Mehta, some of the finest filmmakers are those that are not
only well aware of a social conscious but also are privy to the human
experience enough so to create a searing intimate portrayal of life and people.
Mehta with his last
three films, especially Aligarh has turned into a such filmmaker while the
world around him crumbles. Aligarh's poetic beauty stems from Mehtra's intense
understanding of Prof. Ramchandra Siras. The film might relay the pains of the
reinstating the archaic laws against homosexuality, but Mehta's film isn't
sternly focused on that larger picture though the subtext builds to it.
Rather Mehta's focus
reigns into a budding friendship backed by an indescribable understanding of
what makes Siras the kind of individual and mind you individual is a key word;
that he is. It's the intriguing way he builds up things that makes Aligarh a gem;
from meticulously crafting the visual palette of the film as a constricting
small town measuring the every move of the protagonists to the easy non
judgmental details that make Siras affable and the enhancing the notion of
homosexuality, sexuality and love in general as something abstract and
irrational and irrevocably beyond labels.
Thus at the end
turning the poetic intimacy of Aligarh into a triumph of Hansal Mehta's
humanistic sensitivity and experiences. Here is a man slowly becoming one of
India's finest modern filmmakers.
Shakun Batra for Kapoor
and Sons
Batra's greatness is
presented in his tendency to merge his influences with his inspirations, a
filmmaker with a westernized bent specifically giving off the feel of a peak
Woody Allen; Shakun Batra mixes this with a very rooted and intriguing look see
into middle/upper middle class Indian families.
This becomes the
base of his very realistic and relatable portrayal of family strife within some
volatile characters that could be part of any family. Held up by three secrets
and five [+2 supporting] characters and their myriad of individual relationships
and complete dynamics to create a picture that relies on Batra to move these
pieces towards satisfactory conflict and an eventual satisfying conclusion.
Batra misses out on
the latter due to scripting faults, however as an intuitive filmmaker he still
manages to create sparks out of his material because not only is he well aware
of the strengths of his cast but the also his cinematic capabilities to visualize
as a leader of his team.
So the film takes a
natural blend of cinema verite and adds in a hefty dose of stylized Dharma feel
to make a film that not only sparkles but sparks as well, especially in the
fine form with which he orchestrates the main conflicts.
This handling of the
pieces in his game, make Shakun Batra an enviable chess master without ever
making any of the movement feel inorganic.
It's poetry in
motion, is what it is and like any family it is imperfect with a hint of some
hiccups that never threaten to sink his ship.
And the Winner is...
Hansal Mehta for Aligarh!!!
Redemption for 2014!!! Hansal Mehta wins the big one giving Aligarh a huge boost towards the Best Picture contention.
Up Next: A family reunited is a family full of secrets is a family re-crumbling, A young woman goes to the depths of her past to find reconciliation with her life thanks to her quirky therapist, A Mother moves mountains metaphorically to able to better her aloof daughters life but their enemy Maths stands in the way, Two young children push forth on a fantastical journey so that the strong girls sharp but blind brother can get his eyesight back from her idol; the King Khan and Finally a relentless but slightly self absorbed yet mature musical aficionado finds a passion far greater with an as musically in tune excitable singer...these are the Comedy/Romantic/Musical Best Picture Nominees
'Nuff Said,
Aneesh Raikundalia
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