Directors ’ cut
Jasmine
, director of The Reluctant Fundamentalist: “As filmmakers, we’re always borrowing, influencing, and bringing something to each other’s works. I was busy all year at festivals with The Reluctant Fundamentalist, and there were times when I would watch screenings instead of, say, sleeping or eating! From what I have seen,
by Woody Allen reminded me of his early work, with a mix of greatness and humility all packed together to support a tight narrative. Cate Blanchett, who plays the protagonist, is one of our finest actors, and her work in the movie only reaffirms my belief. This year also saw which marked the return of director Wong Kar Wai, someone we have all grown up watching. Hong Konger actor Tony Leung, who plays the lead in the film, is ageless. If you see him in Happy Together (1997), a drama about a gay couple, also by Kar Wai, and compare his performance to the one he gives in The Grandmaster, you’ll realise that he has grown in a very organic way. He plays a martial arts expert, and it is an intense character. Everyone has been raving about Steve McQueen’s which stars Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michael Fassbender, and I intend to see it this month. I’m sure I won’t come out unscathed, as slavery is a heavy-duty subject, but I know that it will
inspire me.”
Mir a Nai r
12 Years a Slave,
Gatsby,
Avantika Hari,
Gravity
The Grandmaster,
documentary filmmaker, director of Land Gold Women: “The life of an artist requires sharing a tumultuous relationship with solitude. My perspectives on the themes of disconnection, of facing our biggest fears, of passion and loss were impacted greatly by two films I saw this year. One was
adapted from the book by F Scott Fitzgerald. Baz Lurhmann stylises the American 1920s, just as I had imagined it. With its social decadence, opulence, greed, and selfishness, the era comes glittering through in this movie. The performances are captivating and the execution flawless. The other was Alfonso Cuarón’s with Sandra Bullock. An emotionally damaged astronaut, Ryan Stone, finds herself close to death and utterly alone in space after she loses all communication with her colleagues both on land and in space. How does one find the strength to go on when the odds of survival are so low? The directorial prowess of Cuarón is nothing short of inspiring and the cinematography truly a breakthrough. At the heart of these disruptive cinematic techniques, is the touching story of embracing our demons, forgiving, and offering ourselves second chances. What impacted me most was that for both movies, it was at the point of letting go, in the face of death, that the characters found true freedom from their monsters. I was left with the thought that perhaps forging a life well-lived entails finding that fine balance between oneself and
the other.”
Blue
Gauri Shinde,
Homeland
Cards,
director of English Vinglish: “I have a bad memory and forget what I have read yesterday. But the essence of a greatly written book or movie is what stays with me. In this year, the top-notch writing has come from international television series, especially the shows aired by HBO. It feels like television is the new cinema. I have been hooked similarly to shows like Aaron Sorkin’s which follows its idealistic protagonists making ‘news as it ought to be’ for an audience fed on the diet of Fox and CNN. has been another favourite. Carrie Mathison played by Claire Danes, the CIA operative who is obsessed with Sergeant Brody, is in equal spades exasperating and brilliant. Terrorism is a reality of our times, and I know that the show is not going to become obsolete in the coming years, given the global climate of fear and distrust.
starring Academy Award-winning Kevin Spacey, who plays a corrupt politician, is yet another winner. I have watched these back-to-back, watched them more than I have watched movies. Apart from these, it’s been reruns of movies by British indie director Mike Leigh, and Vittorio de Sica, the maker of
The Great
Newsroom,
Bicycle Thieves
(1984).”
House of