Deepa Mehta's another classic art film after Fire and Earth. Water is even more subtle than Fire. That make it even better.
The whole movie is about the sad story of Indian widows. I'm glad to see Deepa has more hope in life. Not like Earth, the country was teared apart and humanity sank; not like Fire, the actress rebelled and burn the system into ashes; Water facees the misfurtune of reality but did not give up hope. After all, every Indian hope the teaching of Gandhi would lead them to the truth.
Fire and Water both discuss about how religion affect people's life. Fire is full of anger, and it seems that Deepa want Water can purify people.
For decades, organizers of Hong Kong International Film Festival were proud of themselves for organizing the best film festival in Asia. Even though in recent years, Hongkongers has been facing the challenge from Koreans and Thais, they still think that HKIFF is the most important window for westerners to watch Asian movies.
But, there is a blindspot of the HKIFF, i.e. Indian movies. Except organizing a feature once in late 1990s, HKIFF seldom put Indian movies on the list. If you compare the movies showed from Iran, Japan and Korea, you'll know their cups of tea.
This year, they introduce Viva Bollywood! Yet, it's another disappointment for not showing films like Faana, Water...etc. For a countries produce more than 800 films a year, is it so difficult to find a few movie to show?
HKIFF organizer, if you don't know about India movie, then visit this blog la, maybe we can give you some hints.
In the 1990s, a group of stars emerged in Bollywood, such as SRK, Amir, Salman, Salif Ali Khan, Ash, Zinta, Rani. They brought the Bollywood out of India, leading by King (SRK) and Queen (Ash), which was symbolized by the Devas entered Cannes and then Ash goes to Hollywood.
Ten years later, Bollywood is still ruled by them. But SRK has already reached his 40 and Ash is over 30 and going to marry. Clearly, the future of this movie kingdom cannot rely on them. They are the sun at the noon and sunset will be followed. Is there any promising morning stars shining? Doubtful.
Apart from good script and good directing, movie stars are always the crucial part of the cinema. It would not be a good thing to see the Bollywood cinema is facing the problem of their aging Kings and Queens without a new generation as great at their elders. And this might make the cinema going down.
電影的戲軌很簡單，描述一名鄉里小子白手興家成就國際大企業的故事，整齣電影不斷叫同胞要有夢想，總之就是「大想頭」、「大想頭」、「大想頭」，有can do spirit 就可以成功，即使欺詐違規、輸送利益也無謂計。
更可惜的是，整齣電影拍得無神無氣，即使 A. R. Rahman 一貫的鼓舞飛揚也救不了太多。白手興家的故事好像是輕而易舉之事，主角衝破一個又一個的官僚制胕和商界常規，本可以有很多張力， 但卻只見主角在彈指之間輕描淡寫地化解，給人的感覺是：too simple, too naive！男女主角雖然在戲外締結婚盟，但戲中兩人的愛情線卻沒有得到充份發揮，反而男女配角 Madhavan & Vidya Balan 的正義記者與輪椅女之戀卻有兩幕動人戀歌，無奈只是蜻蜒點水。
Don will be shown in Hong Kong International Film Festival on 21/3 and 7/4.
Here are the promote materials:
Writer-director Akhtar helms the big budget remake of Amitabh Bachchan's late 80's demi-classic with Megastar Shahrukh. It's Bollywood and the film can be described as an action-comedy-musical-thriller-romance. Don see Khan as a hapless street musican who is pegged to impersonate a dead crime boss, in a story full of twist, turns, and surprises - with more after the intermission.
On a more gossip note: the director's father was a co-writer of the original, and iconically Khan and the legendary Bachchan carried on a holiday star feud to rival anything in Hollywood. Plus the musical numbers!
