Well before giving opinion lets all think what all options FFI were having for Oscar Nomination.Black, Iqbal,Paheli and Hazaroo.When a non-Indian want's to watch a Hindi movie would he like to watch a hollywood remake movie(Black)?would he be interested in a movie which depcits indian politics and sport which is now Cricket(IQBAL)?Certainly not.To me FFI were left out with 2 options Hazaro Kh..and Paheli.I have seen both movies.Hazaro was gr88 depiction of young generation thinktank during 80's.But it doesn't sends out ne social message to ne other culture across the world?Does it?Now Paheli.Event I didn't admire the movie that much,but everyone likes watching and hearing a fairy tale or magical stories. Even we have liked movies like "Mask" or "Spiderman".I know these are not oscar winning movies but then what choice were FII left with?Paheli depicts Indian culture.Even in India we can see lotz of Videsi Guys going into villages and njoying life over there.Indian culture is admired everywhere in the world.We have a unique culture which is not practised ne where in the world.Paheli is also a fairy tale who ne one would have liked to watch provided we cut down songs to 0.Think again
I want to mention it first, it is an individual's right to like or dislike any aspect of an abstract art, cinema being one. Therefore Raja Sen is within his right to dislike Black and also express it. Moreover, this has not even been an original work. Black has been over-analysed and many reviewer together (including vernacular) have come out with these points in the past. The point is that the article makes a comparison and tries to prove Paheli better that Black, just because Black has certain (alleged) low points. In my view, it is like saying that Sholay was inferior to another movie just because Sholay had few flaws which other did not. The overall difference in class is not important. To be realistic, neither Black nor Paheli stand any real chance in Oscars. Much has been been lost from that aspect. But the jury has given Paheli a high padestal not on the basis of overall cinematic quality but on the basis of other mundane parameters. Least we expect from such wise people.
Thank god at least some reviewer had the nerve the see beyond the hype and finally support a better film. Paheli is a great film which does not make any grandiose promises or tries to be pathbreaking. Its a beautiful film which tells a simple story without putting on airs. Whereas each frame of Black might as mell have a subtitle "I am the great director. This is a great film. Bollywood audiences should worship this". A story of a deaf-blind girl overcoming the odds with the help of a great but flawed teaher could have been told so well without trying to overdo it so much. I totally agree with the author of this artical. The only feeling the Black evokes is that, this could have been such a great film...if only it wasn't so pretentious!!
Both movies are no great shakes . both will lose out on the oscars . so I don't know what this fuss is all about . black is full of high exaggeratted performances ( esp from Bacchan ) and Paheli is plain mediocre( Palekar was better in Khairi ).
This is the most insular article i have come across playing to utmost illogical comaprisons.
To comment on Black is like trying to find black spots in the sun. T ocall ABs performance as hamming goes to show the world of ignorance the writer resides in.
India is full of peculiarities.
T ome Black is the best Hindi movie ever made and ABs performance is the best in any Hindi movie.
I have seen black thrice for the superb performance of all the characters great story line something different which can make you cry and frankly speaking while wahtching paheli i slept and finally left in the interval and was cribing why the bloody hell i wasted my 20 dollars is their any way i can claim my money back and the time wasted i would love to do that and stop throwing shit saying which one is better paheli or black i think its an irrational comparison u simply compare a wonderful movie with such utter nonsense called paheli - its really funny you know but i like the confidence of the people who selected paheli but i must tell you stop being so over confident i just cant stop laughing on their choice of cinema no doubt we dont get good movies here in bollywood .
Certainly 'YES', with regard to casting and, henceforth, performnance by the caster(s).
I wonder, whether any one has watched the Malayalam flick, starring Mammootty, titled-- 'BLACK'.
I would expect, a scream of a big 'NO...' from most of the people. Although I am not a Malayali, myself, (or Mallu, as they as famously known as), though a South Indian (Telugu).
This guy, called-- Sanjay Leela Bansali, in my view, is the most brilliant re-maker, who acclaims accords which, essentially, does not belong to him (least whether he is worth for it or not).
Bansali's flick 'Hum Dil Chechuke Sanam' is a remakeof a 'Telugu' flick, which atleast, the bollywood media, claims a master-price. Bansali's another flick 'Devdas', which he attributes to the author of the original novel is way away from the novel just shows his credibility.
Most recently, comes BLACK, yet another Bansali click, in the so-called Bollywood, another remake, which has been attributed as a remote subject the Indian Cinema has ventured in to. In reality, this subject (and the role of Amitab Bachhan) has protrayed to the excellence by the 'Mallu' Superstar Mammotty.
