Sudarshan Thapa ,i and Mero Love Story

He is what one would call as the brooding face of the Nepali cinema's present phase! He is passionate, believes in dreams , and it did not take time for Sudarshan Thapa to move out of his mellowing dreams and carve a niche' for himself. The man was the centre of attention last year as he made the hit Mero Euta Saathi Cha with Aryan Sigdel ,and Namrata Shrestha. Sudarshan will now be making his Second onscreen directorial with Mero Love Story. He is also discussing the script of his few next. Busy man he is. This entertaining column is a chit-chat between me (Kumar Bhattarai) and the director himself(sudarshan Thapa),which i think is an interesting piece to share.


Kumar : Mero euta..was one of the finest movie that comes in Nepali celluloid so far ,now you again are set for next game with "Mero Love Story",any tensions,fears...
Sudarshan: Ha,Ha.I love this question. I would like to break it into two categories. One is- all the time even the greatest of the greatest directors comes with certain tensions and pressure when it comes to his/her next film,and am not an expectional. And two - yes, expectaions scares me ,especially after Mero euta saathi's phenominal success.

Sudarshan Thapa: Now you tell me, as a writer of this film, do your nerves give you a goose bump ?
Kumar :My film ,i believe is neither rooted in reality nor are they escapist fare. I have written a story,on what i emotionally felt at that few particular moments,when i was visualising all those agendas. Actually, i have never looked it that seriously though i'll go into a cave when it gets realese in the theatres.

Kumar : Tell us about the casts and crews.
Sudarshan.As you know it,we've penciled into Aryan Sigdel, Vinay Shrestha and Richa Sharma with some mix bag of yesteryear's popular senior members for the casts thing..and yeah Rajesh Sing is operating camera,there is Suren Paudel for me again as an editor after Mero Euta..it's like home coming .

Kumar :But you share the same top line(actors) to First love....
Sudarshan : Yes,we share the same toplines but we are making two different movies with two different themes,though actors wise we have same people on the set....and i guess it has nothing to do with who is working with-who...if you see the examples from hollywood or a bollywood Amitabh Bachchan,Parween Babi and Amzad Khan did so many films together and they only proved better when they came together on screen....Content and substance of the film do matter ..rest is a history when your work is appericiated.

Sudarshan :How much do you like sticking to the vis-a-vis allowing actors to improvise ?
Kumar : For me the scripts is the Gita and the Bible,but then essentially as a writer I see my role as a refree at a football match,coaching is not my duty then..it's all over to my director..and for this moment on the filed the actors have to discover their skill and score with the fine coaching of you.If they go offside/out of character or out of the storyline then you blow the stick...Hmm..to improvise is the essence for all of us because it means we are in touch with our instincts.

Kumar : You seem to be moving away from presonalised cinema. Is this a conscious decision ?
Sudarshan : If you mean that the larger than life Mero love story...has been a departure from those some-how-real life characters of MERO EUTA SAATHI CHA,then yes it was a conscious decision. But i would hope that one single film is not an indication of what will follow. Only when we experiment with what lies beyond our comfort zone,can we evolve as storytellers.

Kumar : Is censorship necessary ?
Sudarshan : We should not censor creative arts. A big No...

Sudarshan : You have a very strong urban sensibility that comes through brilliantly in your work. Do you think you are limited to that demographic or do you belive you can cut across wider sections of the country ?
Kumar : I would hope that my subjects are not limited to a particualr kind of audience. The feedback i recieve from people across the country,be it a metropolis or a small town,regarding the very subject we are working together,is encouraging enough to make me belive that my work will influence people across all demographics. Furthermore, I also believe that as long as the core of the film, i.e. the story, is universal,it will be understood by all regardless of its treatment.

Kumar: Does a film maker ever know exactly what the audience wants ?
Sudarshan : In a country like Nepal it is very difficult to judge the pulse of the people. With the different of tastes how can we judge what the audience wants ? What we can definately know is what we want. So probably the solution lies there. Making something that we want rather than trying to judge what people in different cites or Critics want. If we're lucky our taste matches that of the majority..than we have a hit.

Kumar : If you were not in cinema what would be your profession ?
Sudarshan : I would have been a Pan Pasale..JOKES aparts..i would have been an actor of a theatre then because i love the whole proccess of not being to your self but rather being to an unknown person you never got to know before.

Kumar :Your favourite actor/actress...
Sudarshan : Hmm..all of them are doing great jobs.

Sudarshan : Tell me your favourite actor/actress...
Kumar : Saugat Malla,Aryan,Vinaya and Richa Sharma Ha,Ha...

Kumar :One film that you are dyeing to see....
Sudarshan: There are many actually!

Sudarshan :So what after doing this...
Kumar: There are few projects i'm in talk to....amm..may be i'll be busy shooting some short films of my own..

Kumar :Was there any trigger point that made you turn Director ?
Sudarshan : I joined Neer Shah's film school as a student in acting and i always wanted to be an actor..did few serials too....But there was something waiting me and now i realized dreaming of becoming an actor is my self triger point of becoming a director.

Kumar: So what to expect from Mero love story for now ?
Sudarshan: Together we (you and me), We've tried to come up with a fresh love tale with so much of fun,emotion and entertaintment in the bill..so as for now I,along with my team will have a focuse to put in sincere effort to make an original work with a heart in it.

MY NAME IS KHAN- Go For It

In an early voice-over in director Karan Johar's My Name Is Khan, Shah Rukh Khan's character Rizwan says his mother loved him unconditionally from the moment he was born, never disappointed or embarrassed of his autism. It's hard not to feel the same kind of unconditional love for Rizwan when you're sitting there in your seat, listening to him as he innocently offers to repair the air-conditioner in a high-security US prison where he is being held and tortured by a suspicious FBI who cannot understand why he's determined to meet the US President. Rizwan Khan has Asperger's Syndrome since birth; he has a problem expressing emotions, he rejects physical intimacy, he's bothered by crowded spaces and loud noise, and he's disturbed by the sight of anything yellow. Other than that, he's quite smart actually. He can repair faulty home appliances and crack word puzzles in an instant. What he cannot mend is his wife's broken heart, when 9/11 delivers a personal blow. My Name Is Khan is an inherently sincere, yet unabashedly sentimental story of Rizwan Khan and his Forrest Gumpish journey across America to meet the US President so he can tell him that every Muslim is not a terrorist. The film's message of religious tolerance and global secularism is an important one, but hardly new. Johar's occasionally naïve script places a series of seemingly impossible hurdles in the way of Rizwan, that he overcomes with sheer good-heartedness and love. Like the clunky portion where he returns to a hurricane-hit small-town in Georgia and inspires a community rebuilding effort. The director sacrifices subtlety and goes all-guns-blazing to emotionally seduce you. Rizwan's romance with Hindu single-mom Mandira (played by Kajol) and his bond with her son provide the anchor points in a film that tends to overwhelm you with convenient touches. My Name Is Khan has Johar's typical cheesy flourishes, like the moment when a church choir sings We Shall Overcome and Rizwan breaks into Hum Honge Kamyab. However, for the most part, the director makes a departure from his bubblegum themes. At roughly two hours and forty minutes, the film is a tad long and packs in every possible plot point that might elicit an emotional response. There are encounters with fundamentalists, the stirring of a nationwide humanitarian campaign, even montage moments of hate crimes against innocent Muslims in the aftermath of 9/11. But My Name Is Khan steams ahead confidently, propelled by the chemistry of its leads. Johar is on rock-solid ground when he's exploring the relationship between Rizwan and Mandira, investing the film with its finest moments. Watch how Shah Rukh and Kajol virtually bounce off each other in the Tere naina song, and the innocent cheekiness of that post-wedding bedroom scene when they finally discuss what they must get down to doing. In a striking performance that's right up there alongside Swades and Chak De India, Shah Rukh Khan is endearing and restrained and makes it very hard for you not to lose your heart to him. He never turns the Aspergers-afflicted Rizwan into a caricature, using his peculiarities to warm up to you instead. Notice how he repeats his lines over and over again, or jumps in to correct someone when they've mispronounced his name, or how he hides his face and blushes when Mandira asks him to marry her. Bringing emotional depth to what is essentially Rizwan's story, Kajol is immensely likeable as Mandira, using her eyes to convey volumes, topping the performance off with a powerful breakdown scene that literally puts her through the wringer. In all fairness, My Name Is Khan benefits considerably from inspired casting. Zarina Wahab is heart-warming as Rizwan's mother, and Soniya Jehan exudes a quiet grace in the role of his supportive sister-in-law. A thumbs-up also for Tanay Chheda who plays the young Rizwan with remarkable consistency. The film shamelessly tugs at your heartstrings and on more than one occasion wallops you to weep. Aided by solid camerawork, tight editing and a layered story, Johar crafts an engaging, stirring saga that is earnest and noble. With this message movie in the mainstream format, the director takes a step in the right direction.
I'm going with four out of five for Karan Johar's My Name Is Khan. Watch it for its star who doesn't miss a beat. JAI CINEMA

Sudarshan thapa's quest for New lady in his next film.

SUDARSHAN THAPA,who is set to wear the director's cap again after his highly appericiated MERO RUTA SAATHI CHAa, is looking for a new face to cast opposite Aryan Sigdel. The hunt for a new girl is on for the film, to be produced by Suraj Acharya and written by Kumar Bhattarai. Confriming this news he says, "I am looking for a fresh,dyanamic and motivated female face for my next film. She is okey if she has no acting, or a modeling experiences and vis-a-vis.I have no such hang-ups either.Apparently, when i was working on MERO EUTA SAATHI CHA, i had this in mind. Also I feel that it's high time we see new female faces in cinema." About his casts and crews,he says "I haven't approached anyone! Am still sorting out an avalanche of photos of new girls.that's for sure. The one who's been signed on dotted line is Aryan Sigdel but the remaining cast amd crews are still to be finalised." Talking about his next film, he says, ''i am not in a position where i can say this and that. All i can say- this time it will be a romantic comedy and sorry we are not copying from anywhere of the world." Talking about all those allegations against his first flick MERO EUTA SAATHI CHA, he says,"We were always honest with that cinema. We never did hide anything about the film. We said it's A MILLIONIARE'S FIRSTLOVE in Nepali style. That's the only film i did go remaking way but from now on NOTE IT- each of my film will have an original story and i can bet you'll find it true when my second film sees it's realese." Hopefully, he will recreate the magic of his first film with his second outing which is slated to go on floor after january 2010 . As for now all female aspirings do send your C.V and 3 photos to popcornkb@gmail.com

Kurbaan a compelling thriller

Cast: Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Viviek Oberoi, Om Puri, Kirron KherDirector: Renzil D'Silva

Stripped to its bone, Rensil D'silva's Kurbaan is an edge-of-the-seat thriller that seldom loses its grip on your attention. Credible performances from its leads, and a nail-biting screenplay make up for the plot holes that threaten to eat into this otherwise engaging film.

Set in post-9/11 America, Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan star as Avantika and Ehsaan, professors at a Delhi campus who move to New York after a whirlwind romance, that involves making out in the college staff room, and a prompt marriage. Avantika, who was teaching in the States prior to her stint in India, returns to her original job, and Ehsaan accompanies her, hoping to find a position for himself too. The couple moves into an Indian neighborhood in suburban New York, where Avantika stumbles upon the shocking secret that her husband is part of a sleeper cell of Islamic fundamentalist terrorists that's hatching a plot to bomb the New York subway. She enlists the help of a news channel cameraman Riyaaz Masood (played by Vivek Oberoi), who infiltrates the gang to foil their attack.

More compelling than the similarly themed New York, Kurbaan scores for its brisk pacing, and for the fact that it doesn't offer an over-simplistic view of the terrorism issue. The film allows enough room for all perspectives and avoids romanticizing the terrorist as a victim seeking revenge, even if characters like Bhaijaan (played by Om Puri) and Aapa (played by Kirron Kher) make the same point repeatedly. It's in a dramatic classroom scene in which Vivek Oberoi's character Riyaaz confronts white students and their predictable logic, that the film reveals its neutral stance.

The key problem with Kurbaan, however, is that it can't decide if it wants to be a serious film addressing a burning issue, or a commercial potboiler set against the backdrop of terrorism. How else do you explain such lapses in logic as Riyaaz's needlessly heroic decision to explore a possible terrorist situation himself, instead of alerting the cops right away? Or the terrorist group's decision to include Riyaaz in their mission without as much as a thorough background check. Even the love scene between Saif and Kareena, although aesthetically shot, has a distinctly 'filmi' logic - Avantika's seducing Ehsaan to get her hands on vital information that could prevent the attacks.

Another careless oversight on the part of Kurbaan is the more-or-less insignificant role the FBI plays in all of this. Anyone who's traveled to the United States post 9/11 or even watched a handful of recent Hollywood thrillers will tell you that America became a different country since September 11 happened. Even a mention of words like 'bomb' or 'terrorist' could get you into serious trouble. Which is why it's a little alarming to note that Ehsaan roams about freely on the streets of New York without bothering with so much as a guise, when the FBI have clear photographs of this most-wanted terrorist. Or that he can walk into a bar and stab a man to death, or escape from a run-in with the cops. Just watch the recent Harrison Ford-starrer Crossing Over in which the FBI swoops down on a teenage Bangladeshi girl for a class essay she wrote in which she may have sounded at best 'casual' to the Twin Towers attack. These irregularities might be dismissed as nitpickings in an average masala entertainer, but they stand out in a film like this which prides itself on attention to detail and credibility of intent.

Despite its hiccups, Kurbaan works as a suspenseful thriller, sucking you into its drama even though you may have figured out where the story's going. Refer to that terrific scene in which Ehsaan reveals his real identity to Avantika, or the one in which Riyaaz's secret is accidentally revealed to Ehsaan. There is genuine intrigue in these moments, and you're undeniably hooked.

Kurbaan is convincing also for the remarkable acting by its three leads, who are a pleasure to watch. If Saif Ali Khan approaches his part with restraint and minimalist fuss, then Kareena Kapoor goes for a simmering, slow-burning performance that eventually punches you in the gut. Vivek Oberoi, despite the occasionally rickety accent, throws himself into the role and turns in a sincere, spontaneous delivery. As an ensemble, the trio turns Kurbaan into one of the best-acted pieces you've seen all year.

Armed with Hemant Chaturvedi's efficient camerawork and Salim-Suleiman's rousing music score that never distract from the storytelling, director Rensil D'silva makes a confident debut with a film that is both respectable and engaging.I'm going with three out of five for Kurbaan; it's a compelling thriller that doesn't shy away from touching prickly issues.