Wild Wild Country : A Netflix Documentary Review

So I just finished watching the latest documentary on Netflix ‘Wild Wild Country’’, a six episode, almost six and hour study on the vision of cult and religious leader Osho or Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh directed by Maclain Way and Chapman Way.

Well obviously the series is very well made and has all the ingredients to keep you involved. It is basically about the Oregon scandal or the great Oregon experiment that failed (well actually that might could very well have been the title of the series). Seldom do you come across a piece of art specifically in the field of motion pictures that can shake you from within and introduce you to something you have never seen or experienced before, it kind of makes you look inside and introspect, you empathize with the characters, you identify with the paranoia which in a way tells you more about yourself than anyone else.

(I don't know if you really need to give a spoiler alert while writing about a documentary but still I will do my part, the below paragraph contains information about some key events that take place during the course of series)

So the movie opens in Poona, India and shows how Bhagwan Rajneesh gained popularity in 70's, especially among Europeans and Americans and was gaining a cult status. He always dreamt of a commune which is autonomous and where people can be free of religion, pressures of society and meditate, make love and be themselves. There would be no worldly bondages which causes hindrance in the blooming of human consciousness. Initially they wanted to make it in India but soon realized it cannot he done here so they decide to move to America. Bhagwan with all his Sanyassins and most importantly his personal secretary Maa Anand Sheela moved to Oregon. Sheela was given the responsibility by Bhagwan to make this dream a reality. They purchased a huge ranch in Antelope, Oregon and made a whole city from scratch, ‘City of Rajneeshpuram’ out in the middle of nowhere. Antelope was a town with population of just 40 odd people with just one community store. The disciples of Bhagawan made City of Rajneeshpuram there and it was a thriving city with their own police force, stores, hospitals, school, pub and all sorts of facilities. It was a place to love and be free. Important thing to note here is that Bhagwan was in silence the whole time the city was setting up, he never interfered in its functioning directly, the only interaction he had with the world was through his secretary Sheela. She was the main lieutenant, she planned it all, got people from all over the world and made a dream of her Bhagwan a real living thing. By the way everything they did was legal courtesy to very generous American voting rights. It didn’t go well with the natives they were outraged with these people wearing red clothes supposedly following Rajneeshism religion and the fact that they were very much powerful and rich, as powerful as to virtually buy the whole city of Antelope. Initially it was a fight between natives to get their town back from ‘outsiders’ and Rajneeshis to survive, but slowly it blew out of proportion and federal government got involved and fight got bigger and uglier. Sheela, to win this fight made some decisions which were not good but which she till date reasons she took to save her master and his dream. She literally tried to kill people, bomb buildings, and poison citizens to save ‘her city’. Well it was still going well till some misunderstandings grew between her and Bhagwan. When she felt she is losing her position in Rajneeshpuram, the city which she created, she packed her bags and left. It was then the Bhagwan spoke for the very first time and made some very serious allegations against Sheela and her associates and in a way opened the doors of the ranch or the city of Ranjneeshpuram to FBI. It was all downhill from there, the government wanted Rajneesh out of the country and his city destroyed and he just gave them the opportunity. FBI framed charges not just against Sheela and her associates but also against Bhagwan Rajneesh. He was in jail for few months following which he was deported back to India. The great experiment to create a community where people can love and mediate and be free had failed. Osho Rajneesh as he was called in later years of his life came back to Poona and left his body in 1990.

Well the movie raises so many questions and I just could not stop thinking about it. It talks about racism, religious freedom, involvement of church and state in public matters. The way in which American politicians abused laws to get rid of Osho is shocking.

I like to read and know about different sects/groups and the practices they teach to elevate human consciousness. I had heard about Osho but knew nothing except of the fact that he led a very controversial public life. This movie kind of gave a peak inside his times and life. It made me think of human nature in general I could see observing Sheela that how people can become from followers to lover to fundamentalists. You really get to understand this gradual process.

Also it made me think about movies in general, people write fiction and we expect so much from them but can any fiction ever written can be as complex as reality or as mad as actual people or as provocative as life itself. I think the answer is no, it cannot. Reality is always stranger than fiction always. We might get caught up in the mundanity of life but each moment something is happening in some part of world or even in your neighborhood which is way stranger and provocative than any fiction ever written.

Now since I am watching more documentaries I think they are the real thing, they are better than stupid fiction movies we feed ourselves with. Of course I know even the documentary can be based on propaganda and can be biased but you know that when you watch it if that is the case. Truth shines through and if you get to witness it even for a moment you feel elevated.

If the great Oregon experiment would have succeeded it would have been a great place to be in. I’m certain would have gone there but it failed. (I know my parents would be thankful for that) But I think it happens every now and then people come with some great ideas and try to change the world then they get sidetrack, they get lost in the pleasures and other worldly things which they themselves renounced. It happened very recently with the great Kejriwal experiment in politics when I for one truly believed that this man would one and for all would change the way politics is done in the world. But sadly he himself changed or maybe he was always the same and I got disillusioned by his ideas. Anyways change is a gradual process and the longer it takes to change society, the better is the possibility that it will sustain. These people tried to do too much too quickly.

Wild Wild Country is a great study not in the life of Osho or his teachings but about an idea a dream which died and with it died many hopes and possibilities. The film never tires to get outrageous or make any comment on Bhagwan or his methods it just presents facts and gives equal opportunity to all almost of all the parties involved to present their case and talk, it is then left on the viewers to make their own opinions. Most of the film is told via news reel and old video footage running in parallel with the recorded interviews of people for the purpose of film. It is so fascinating because you come to know so much about the people who were involved and how they changed over the period of time. It is certainty worth the time go ahead and watch it.

Rukh : A film with Heart

You know what does a good movie does to you, it makes you aware, about yourself, about your surrounding, like deep meditation. It makes you happy and light inside. Yes that's what good cinema does. That is the purpose of it. Maybe that is why it is so important for some people to write and make films because there are stories in their hearts which if not told would remain purposeless forever which is very sad. Whenever I watch a good film I try to remember all the good films I have watched in past and how they made me feel or think and there is one thing which is common in all of them, they complete me or give me a feeling of fulfillment. You know that feeling when you do some great work and admire yourself or when you are proud on the success of someone very close and you feel like you have done it with them and you are a part of their achievement well that kind of feeling.

A film which made me feel just like that today was Rukh. A movie with a heart and soul. A movie which does not aspire to be great or win accolades/awards just a simple story told honestly. A movie without any packaging, a movie not trying to be perfect, a movie where you will not analyze the script or acting or any technical details for that matter because in-spite of its imperfections it feels so close to you. Makes you think and in my case write as well. Believe me I am a very lazy person and it is very difficult to make me do anything against my wish (especially if you are not my manager and are not paying me) but then there are films like these you watch and can't help but spread a word about them. Because the sad part is movies like these don't get audience easily. There were just 10 odd people in the theater today whereas Golmaal is running houseful. I don't have anything against Golmaal it is an entertainer but this state of negligence towards serious and original cinema does makes me sad inside. Maybe as audience we don't deserve gems like Rukh because a movie cannot be made for empty theaters. They deserve attention and respect. I agree there are some indie films which are not for masses and won't attract crowds but then films like Rukh are very different. They are like Guru Dutt, or early Raj Kapoor or Hrishikesh Mukherjee films. They take a very middle path in which a good original story is told very sincerely and lovingly. Remember the way mom used to tell us stories, sometimes the same story again and again and she never tried to make it special, it used to be effortless and full of love. Just like that.

Please go and watch Rukh it is a fabulous film which deserves to be watched in theaters. Although technical aspects in such movies don't matter much but still I would like to mention a few names here. One thing which I liked the most is the pacing of the film. This is a kind of film which do not grab your attention instantaneously, it very slowly and gently sweeps you in it's world, among it's characters where you are with them sitting in the corner somewhere listening to them. Atanu Mukherjee the debutante writer director has done a great job in this sense, also the person whom a director is most dependent on (who is like a pseudo director) to create such a experience is editor. Here Sanglap Bhowmick has done magic with editing. Good dialogues are where you don't 'see' the dialogues much but still a lot is said, Vasan Bala has done exactly that, excellent work. In the end the makers and producers Drishyam films, fantastic job guys. Please keep making such films and I assure you we will come to theaters it will take time but it is happening. 

Again, please go and watch the film people before it is out of theaters.

Jagga Jasoos : An Immersive Cinema

Not all films encourage you to sit with your laptop in the middle of night and write about them. Rarely does it happen and definitely not with Hindi films but I had that rare moment last week, I saw Jagga Jasoos (JJ).

Sometimes I wonder what is the purpose of cinema, is it just to entertain or make audience think or teach them something or to give them an experience they can cherish. There cannot be one answer, it will differ, everyone have their own reasons whatever it is but there is one basic condition, for those 120-150 minutes the film should make you forget about everything . You should not think about the world outside that dark room. If a movie succeeds in doing so, for me it has won the day no matter what the genre or language is, that is the film I recommend to everyone. I have this bad habit of making people watch or listen to anything which resonates with me. So that’s what I’m doing here.

Anurag Basu (AB) took around three years in making this film, Ranbir Kapoor (RK) is producing it and he has dedicated it to his grandfather, the legendary (and my favorite) Raj Kapoor. The film gives him tribute saying ‘Gardish main sitarein rahengey sada’ from Mera Naam Joker (MNJ), one of the most underrated films  in Indian cinema. In a way JJ and MNJ have a few trivial similarities, MNJ was a very expensive film and a long one as well. I don’t know how many of you are aware but the film had two intervals, it was Raj Kapoor’s  magnum opus, unfortunately it didn’t work, they said it was too ahead of its times. JJ is a three hour long film with more than 27 songs, took way too much time to complete, in a way it is Ranbir’s magnum opus. I just hope that it does not end up as MNJ on box office. AB has made a film with heart, it has all the right elements in perfect amount, and nothing has been overdone. It is a simple father son story which kids can watch with their parents and have fun. In a country like ours where everyone run behind the trends (you make one Wasseypur and there will be a dozen films about the same place and the same people, someone made DDLJ 20 years back and people are still trying to tell the same story) it takes guts to write and make a film like JJ.

AB has this natural ability to create moments which are inherently funny which necessarily doesn’t come from the comic part of it but the innocence or naivety of his characters, he creates noise in silence. He loves international cinema and this film too like Barfi has a lot of French feel to it (especially Amelie). But then the references have not been used for the sake of it, the nature of the story and characters are such that these references goes very well with the narrative and nothing looks forced.  

Ranbir and Sasawata Chatterjee (Bob Viswas from Kahani) have given very fine performances. Pritam has done wonderful job, to create a whole film with  music is a task and it has been done with perfection. There is one more hero in the film and that is Ravi Verman, the cinematographer. The film has been captured beautifully and has a dream like feel to it, the result of which is you actually become a part of Jagga’s journey. The screenplay loses it's grip in the third act but then for me it is typical AB style,  he focuses more on creating memorable moments then the actual plot points or structure (it was same with Barfi in which after a point you weren’t even sure what all things are going on), as long as audience are with Jagga and having fun, little matters.  

The film has its flaws; there are continuity breaks, there is Katrina, there are a few ‘Bahubali Moments’ (the escape sequence on ostrich) but that’s the beauty of immersive cinema you tend to overlook the mistakes and just enjoy the film. 

In a lot of reviews I have read people are complaining about the length of the film or they have questions about the plot whereas in the theaters kids were dancing with Jagga and laughing with his father. Maybe sometimes we just need to loosen up a little and be in the moment, children are so much better at this.

Please go watch JJ as films like these are not made very often and the best part is it can be a trendsetter, I hope more films like these are made in future. And we won’t have to watch poorly animated Hanumans or Krishnas in the name of children's films, just to make myself clear I don’t have any issues with movies based on mythological characters but again they are not done with conviction and that is my problem.

Jagga Jasoos is the winner here, give yourself a chance and experience the world of Jagga, you will not regret it.

Dhanak : Movie Experience

I feel a good film is one which inspires you, it inspire you to write or to create something and makes you think and feel. Often, my friends ask me to write movie reviews, I tried it many times but failed miserably. I could not write a single review, I just could not. At first I thought maybe becoz of my poor vocab (which still is an issue) I could not express myself, then over time I realized maybe there is something else but I never really cared to dig it in. Today something happened and maybe now I know why it was like that. Reviewing a movie is different from writing about it in general. When your sibling or friend suggests you a movie, they just share their movie experience and it is not technically a review. If you really think about it a friend talking about a movie and appreciating it is much more convincing then reading a Komal Nahta (or any other for that matter) review.  I personally love to talk about a film as a whole and not about the specific aspects like acting or editing or cinematography etc, a good movie is a good movie and everything about it, from the director to spot boy is good and that’s why they succeeded in creating a satisfying cinema.

 Going to movies for me is like going to a temple.  The whole experience is very profound and personal, and if you feel that magical moment in which you become one with your God and get inspired you feel like sharing it with your friends and loved ones. Today I saw a similar film, after watching it I had an urge of sharing it with all my friends and tell them about it and so I am writing this piece and this is not a review.

Dhanak is a film with heart and I was completely in the world of Pari and Chotu. It’s a journey of hope and courage. Pari and Chotu live with their uncle and aunty as their parents died in an accident, aunty doesn’t like them and is partially responsible for Chotu’s blindness. Pari has promised his brother that he will be able to see before his ninth birthday and in her heart she knows he will. So they start this journey in the deserts of Rajasthan fighting all odds to see that 'Dhanak'.

It might sound like a children’s film but believe me it is more for ‘grown ups’, we have stopped believing in fairy tales becoz life is tough and fairy tales are not real. As a character in the movie says, see around the world is full of magic, just open your eyes and you will see it all. We are too ignorant about this magic as we are busy in our lives updating yet another status or chasing a deadline, slow down a bit, give your life a ‘times please’ , go and watch this beautiful film, Pari and Chotu might give you a reason to smile, a genuine one just like a child.

As I said good films inspire you…give yourself a chance to get inspired.

Talvar: Not Exactly a Movie Review !!

Seldom are movies made which make you look into your soul. Talvar  ​is one such film or I should say Talvar is a mirror through which we get to see ourselves. We get to see how corrupt and biased we are. To be honest I was disturbed after watching the film and wanted to punch myself, truth makes us uncomfortable I guess.

It was in 2008; every night they will flash photos of Arushi a beautiful young girl with Kajal in her eyes and a Mona Lisa like smile. I didn’t know much about the case except, ‘Characterless parents killed a characterless daughter’, that is what media told us and that is what we believed, film tells us much more.

It is a detailed and well researched film written by Vishal Bhardwaj he tries hard not to let his prejudices come in the way. Superbly shot by Pankaj Kumar (Ship of Theseus and Haider fame) and executed to perfection by Meghna Gulzar (you might not have even heard of her previous film, this surpasses them anyways) with the support of some most talented actors of our time. The film connects on so many levels. It makes you think, it makes you angry, you will be surprised awkwardly laughing (especially on the police investigations and media coverage scenes) and contemplating.  You feel like slapping the people investigating the case and then you will realize that in some way they are your own reflection. They come from the same society as you and more or less share the same belief system. The system where reading ‘Three mistakes of my life’ or surfing porn or planning sleepover with your friends makes you characterless and vulnerable to such attacks. That same belief system made this case an honor killing case. I could totally relate to it and could not help hating myself for it.

The way UP police investigated this case reminded me of my college days when we used to complete our lab journals for the sole objective of submissions and grades not even considering what we are writing, sometimes even copying the dates and roll numbers of others (weird right, I know).

The film has a documentary kind of feel, I have seen it before in foreign films but I don’t think this genre has been attempted much in India. It is extremely difficult to make such a film as it takes a lot of research and courage (it is very easy to protest or burn posters or ban films in our country). I would request you to please go and watch this film if you really want to see a film which speaks to you (and you are a kind of person who don’t like to  buy popcorns for a film because the way it grips you it won’t let you eat anything. It is good in a way I mean you end up saving 250 bucks which is pretty awesome. Here I gave you one more reason watch it).

By the end of the film the chief investigating officer Ashwin Kumar (played brilliantly by Irrfan) quits his job saying ‘Mujhse ab aur nhi hoga’. You empathize with him and by this time you too give up believing, ‘Kuch nhi ho sakta iss desh ka’.  But believe me that is not the purpose of the film the purpose here is to tell you the facts and let you choose your own version of truth and this truth defines your approach and attitude towards system, society, life.

Before Series: Dedicated to My Friends Celine and Jesse!!

Movies are much more than just ‘movies’, they are a way to live life. They inspire you make you feel hundreds of emotions which otherwise you might not have experienced. Life is too short to experience everything and so I think movies or cinema is a perfect way to live a ‘whole’ life. There are some stories which stay with you and you like to visit them again and again it is like you are going to visit some old friend of yours. A friend you know very well with whom you can sit and spend time, you might not even say anything but he will understand and will empathize with you. There are many such movies which are like my friends and help me when I am alone and don’t have anyone to talk to. Interestingly these are not very great or critically acclaimed films (well some of them are) but the point is it doesn’t matter. I think movies are very personal experience both for makers and viewers.  You may like something that your friends may curse (and they may also curse you for liking it) but still you like it and probably you won’t even be able to explain as in why you like it or what’s so special about it but that is the beauty of it. When you love something you just love it why or how are not important.

Here I would like to express my love for one (or three) such film (friend). I have watched it I don’t know how many times. I will watch them not necessarily from the beginning to end but I will watch a part of it and then will again return to my world. It is very lucid, very beautiful and vey subtle film ‘Before Sunrise’ from Richard Linklater. Most of you must have seen it. It is a part of very special Before Trilogy. All the films of this series are superb and it is very difficult to pick just one but Before Sunrise connects to me on a very personal and emotional level (Although the article is expression of my love for the series and not one film). No please don’t even think of it I have never had such a romantic evening or anything even remotely similar to it but even then I like it so much. Maybe becoz somewhere I have this fantasy in me (of meeting a young beautiful intelligent girl on a train or bus or flight) and it shows a glimpse of it or maybe not (becoz in that case I would envy Jesse which I do not). I am still trying to find an answer.

There are many love stories made and will be made in future too. But I doubt if any other film would be able to stir so many emotions in me.  Beauty lies in the simplicity of the story without being pretentious it comes across with so much honesty that you can’t help but fall in love with it. Whenever we watch love stories we all have this fantasy of getting someone like him or her from the movie. And it happens with me too but the virtue of before series is that you don’t want a partner like Celine or Jesse but you want them to be together forever, you might want to be their friend or neighbor or a school teacher of their kids but that’s all, you just wish to see them together. My fantasy when I first saw Before Sunrise was to be a fellow passenger with Celine and Jesse. Maybe I would be sitting behind them in the same coach and listening to their conversation secretly and smiling looking in my newspaper which I would be pretending to read.

This series is not a love story but it is about love what happens before and after love and what’s there in between. As Nicholas Sparks says, 'Love is like air you cannot see it but you can feel it’. Something like that except with time the air becomes heavy and gets polluted with the world but love is still there and you cannot deny it.  They start in Vienna then meet in Paris and then we meet them again in Greece some very exotic locations that you won’t even notice becoz you have the world’s most lovable characters walking hand in hand discussing life and death and all other worldly things and, you can see love, you can see love in their eyes in their smiles in their pauses. It is magical. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy have given a life to these characters and they actually feel like two random people walking on streets. Richard Linklater and his writing team has done wonders by making it so simple and relatable and yet so intelligent. I sometimes refer it as my philosophical guide, it truly has that all.

By the time you finish watching it and you realise this is the end and there is no more Celine and Jesse you feel a twinge in your heart and you will secretly end up praying for them (if they exist in real life at all). I had the same feelings when my favorite TV show ‘Friends’ finished. I was heartbroken I wanted it to continue forever and wanted Chandler and Monika to be together (I could have been the store manager at the end of the street where they come to live in their new house). But maybe endings are also very important as they kind of complete it all and leave a craving in your heart which is the essence of love. This is the beauty of great stories they become a part of you and invite you to be a part of their world.

Here I want to thank my old friends Jesse and Celine to be a part of my life and teaching me so many things and enriching me with many unforgettable experiences.

Will visit you soon guys!!

The Curious Case of Bombay Velvet !!!

I was waiting for Bombay Velvet for almost two years, or more than that I don’t remember. From the day I read that AK is making something this grand with Karan Johar and Ranbir Kapoor and all other people I was excited to hell. I wanted to watch it more than anything else. I have seen all the AK films and patronize his work but one film which has a special place in my heart and an experience which I can never forget is Gangs of Wasseypur (GoW). In Faisal’s words, ‘Humri zindagi ka ekkhi maksad reh gya tha Bombay Velvet ko bade parde pe dekhna’.

Finally I saw it on first day. And how did I like it. I loved it. Nothing like GoW or like other great movies made by AK before but it was an entertaining movie can be watched with family (which is generally not the case with AK films). I usually read reviews before watching the film but in this case I didn’t read any reviews. After watching the film I read all the reviews and I was shocked. Critics just murdered the film maybe they were expecting something like Scarface or Goodfellas and were disappointed. However, I found out an interesting phenomenon, reviews paint our vision and we do not watch the film honestly. Yes. We tend to like or dislike the film based on the reviews we read. I mean I know it is not a great film and had some flaws but still it is ten times better then what we watch on the name of commercial cinema. It had great art work, engaging script and wonderful performances. I loved the way Bombay is shown in the film. It takes you to the Bombay of 60’s and 70’s without many noises. I remember having the same experience when I saw Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris.   

The performances by Ranbir, Satyadeep, Anushka,  Kay Kay  Menon and all others were fantastic. But above all one person who just blew my mind was Karan Johar. He was brilliant as Khambatta, I wasn’t expecting anything from him and he was just terrific. I have seen many Hindi films and I don’t remember a film with such an extravagant art work. You can feel the subtle detailing in the work, it is surreal.

In spite of being such a good film why has it received so much criticism both from inside and outside the industry. I can’t say much about the people within the industry. They have their ‘personal reasons’. But I will try to dissect the case for people outside the industry; there were two kinds of audience for this film, first ‘Normal Cinegoers’ who went to watch an engaging ‘love story’ (the way it was supposed to be as promoted by the makers) and the other (pseudo) intellectual cinephliles who went to watch yet another gem from the master.

‘Normal Cinegoers’ didn’t like it becoz (honestly speaking) there was too much. I mean there was so much in two and half hour that people were unable to grab what was actually going on. They were unable connect to the love story. But it is much more than just a love story it is a tale of a city, how it grew and became what it is today.

Well, similar was the case with GoW too but luckily it had two parts. You might call me crazy but after watching Bombay Velvet I could draw parallels between GoW and Bombay Velvet. I somehow felt AK has tried to make GoW again in Bombay Velvet. I mean the soul of both the film is same. Ranbir is Faizal Khan of BV and Karan is Ramadhir and they have done it to perfection. GoW was a kind of film you could not watch with your family becoz of excessive violence and foul language but here (with Bombay Velvet) AK came up with a 'more presentable feature'. There is no foul language; violence is also ‘within permissible limits’ and it have beautiful glittering sets with jazz music narrating the tale of much more ‘familiar city’ than Wasseypur. But I think intellectual cinephliles who loved GoW were not expecting this avatar of AK. They somewhere felt he has sold out. They just can’t see actors with make ups and well choreographed songs in an AK film. And they were disappointed.

AK wanted to get all kinds of audience this time, trying to make a more entertaining film, the fact that this is the first AK movie with a U/A certificate (keeping aside Hanuman and short story in Bombay Talkies) says many things. But maybe he missed it. Having said that one more very important thing that I would like to mention here is, the way newspapers publish reports about the business film is doing (practically) ‘each and every hour’ also kills the film. They are all over the place. I mean my father doesn’t watch many films and he is least interested with what’s going on in cinemas but when I told him I went to watch BV, he was like, ‘….yeh toh flop ho gyi na pehle din sirf chaar crore banaye h’. I didn’t know what to say.

I have always believed that box office success can never judge the quality of a film but now I think even the reviews cannot judge it. I have seen poor film getting better reviews and making loads of money. Whatever it is I just want to thank AK for making Bombay Velvet. It was worth the wait and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  

From:

A stupid biased hard core AK fan.