Deep Impressions

  The United Celebration of India Add Bollywood and Cricket, and you and a super success formula, yet only on two occasions, the formula has reached exceptional excitement levels  ( Also published in  movietalkies.com  )      - - - -  - - - -  - - - -  - - - -  - - - -  - - - -  - - - -  - - - -  - - - -  - - - -  - - - -  - - - -  - - - -  - - - -  - - - -  - - - -  The two big forces that have the potential to connect people across the length and breadth of India and also connect Indians across the globe are Bollywood and Cricket. So, when the two together get connected, it’s no surprise that the excitement reaches a new dimension. Be in Anju Mahendroo/Gary Sobers or Sharmila Tagore/Pataudi or Kohli/Anushka, eyeballs in all generations have been spinning stories. But these have been personal events. On the business front, Bollywood and Cricket have come together on many occasions - All Rounder (1984), Awwal Number (1990), Iqbal (2005) and many more - but the kind of excitement that ’

    Cinemahalls : Reeling A Reincarnation ?   Against its previous rivals (TV, VHS, Cable TV et al), cinemahalls could flex their muscle through technological innovations. But as they reopen, they face a unique rival.              ------- ------- -------   ------- ------- -------  ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- When the first Indian film  Raja Harishchandra    (1913) was screened, the cinemahall had remained silent.    During 1910s, Cinemahalls would face tough competition from theatre – which then had    voice . With talkie films, Cinemahalls surpassed theatre,    as writers could write stories for cinema that could not have been narrated in theatres.     During 1940s to 1970s, Cinemahalls in India, saw a rapid growth. When during 50s & 60s, cinemahalls in US faced competition from television, it was countered through technological innovation called    widescreen formats (cinemascope etc.). Widescreen formats were very cumbersome to watch on TV. In India, cinemaha

 Mar jaate hain aashiq, zinda reh jaati hai yaad...! Also published in moveitalkies.com  and  in The Print   Most people would have experienced Dilip Kumar through personal interactions during the last century and through documents and publications in the current century. However, my memories of the institution called Dilip Kumar are exactly the reverse. I have experienced his philosophies, his emotions and his humaneness through the documentation and communications that he had with Sterling Investment Corp Pvt Ltd during 1950s and 1960s and during a series of personal interactions with him and Saira ji at time of release of Mughal-e-Azam ( colour ) in 2004 and thereafter.   By mid 50s, Dilip Saheb was an established star and he was about to take the next leap in his career as a producer. He wanted to make a film with outdoor shoot and in colour. In those days, producers would avoid outdoor shoots due to the high costs involved. Also colour films had just arrived so was an expensive af

    हिंदीभाषा : पर्दे से परिवर्तन    भाषा के लिए अक्सर उस की प्राचीनता उनके गौरव का विषय होता है। किंतु विश्व में सबसे अधिक बोले जानी वाली पाँच भाषाओं में सबसे युवा भाषा होने के कारण हिन्दी का यौवन ही उसका गर्व-बिंदु है। देवनागरी लिखावट वाली खड़ी बोली - जो हिंदी का वर्तमान प्रचलित रूप है - की उम्र २०० वर्ष से भी कम है। और इस छोटे से अंतराल में पिछले ७० सालों में हिंदी का रूपांतरण जिस रफ़्तार से हुआ है, वह अपनेआप में एक शोध का विषय तो है ही पर साथ-ही-साथ इस भाषा के यौवन का द्योतक भी है।    ७० साल के इस सफ़ारनामे को मूर्त-रूप से तो कुछ बिरले भाग्यशालियों ने ही अनुभव किया होगा, पर बाक़ी लोग भी हिंदी सिनेजगत की नज़रों के ज़रिए से हिंदी के इस रूपांतरण के चश्मदीद गवाह बन सकते हैं।    ४० और ५० के दशक की हर फ़िल्म में उस फ़िल्म की भाषा का झुकाव बड़ी आसानी से दृष्टिगोचर होता था - या तो भाषा उर्दूनुमा होती या फिर हिंदीरस से परिपूर्ण या फिर हिंदुस्तानी लहजे वाली। हिंदुस्तानीभाषा , हिंदी-उर्दू का एक नाप-तुला मिश्रण, उस समय लोकप्रियता के पायदान नम्बर एक पर थी। पर भाषा का झुकाव जो भी हो, दर्शकों का