Nerve Endings Firing Away

I dont quiet agree. Best thing for Bollywood is to basically ignore Osacar or as a matter of fact any winning/selection criteria.

True, Oscar gives you lots of publicity and perception and stuff. As far as I know, the perception of snake charmers is gone. Long back.

If there is anything that we will be respected for, then it will our interpretation of entertainment. It is different from a western interpretation.

In the long run, what sets Bollywood apart is the Melodrama and half naked chicks running around the trees.

Whether its oscar or nascar, that what bollywood’s story is, and its better if it sticks to it.

What would they think about us? is a problem of educated elite.

Prero: As a matter of fact, I didnt even watch that movie. I heard its a dud. (A dud is a dud, anywhere, I guess). My comment is a reaction to “It will not get noticed among the excellent nominations that other nations send in. ” of Patrix’ post. :-)

I think we have a strange attitude to the movie making business/art. On the one hand, we have people (like Smiley here) who dismiss the Academy Awards as something that’s not quite important and on the other hand we had the hype and hoopla surrounding Lagaan’s nomination (which suggests we do care). Could it be that, because we’re not winning – mainly because we send crap entries, not because we don’t make ANY great films – we start dismissing the Oscars as unworthy of the esteem they’re held in?

I agree that Oscars are not always the watermark that they’re supposed to be, but to be fair, over the decades they have done a remarkable job of identifying good films. For example, one could debate as to how ‘LOTR – Return of the King’ was better than Mystic River, but when looks at the five nominations, there are some stunning (not in the Bhansali sense) films. No Man’s Land may have got extra points because it was about a serious subject, but it was worthy of the honour, a fantastic film. Its treatment of such a serious issue was too clever.

As with our popular music, it seems we are afraid to push the boundaries with filmmaking. While people are certainly entitled to make films about happy, extended families singing and dancing, or so-called period films with lavish sets, these will never be rated highly if they are devoid of original ideas and/or near-perfect execution. You cannot send ‘Jeans’ as an entry if you are serious about it at all and you have to consider a movie like ‘Company’ even if you don’t want to watch it with your kids and your dog.

Btw, I think Iqbal is somewhat ordinary, but I do agree with your other suggestions.

My thoughts:

Subash Ghai and Amol Palekar thinks that Paheli is the right entry. Patrix doesnt think so. Which is cool and natural.

Oscar is an excellent platform. As a matter of fact, I do use it as my selection criteria.

The selection team was trying their guns at ‘Indian feel’, which itself is a PR move.

I think thats a good PR move.

I think Bollywood should stick to its original sensibilities.

I dont know much about those oscar winning Chinese movies. But if I want to watch a Chinese movie I will pick “Shaolin vs Ninja” stuff. Thats the Chinese story.

If I want to watch a Bollywood movie, I will pick a HAKH. Thats the Bollywood story and thats what we should promote. I dont know much about those Mothers who ruled India.

Stuff like ‘iqbal’/'Page 3′ is definitely ‘different’ to ‘our’ sensibilities. But to put it simply, they are as grade B as Paheli.

I recently took two Austrian girls to a local theatre in Hyderabad to watch Mangal Pandey. (That movie sucked). They loved the movie. They basically loved the Bollywood formula of Color, dance and melodrama.